
In 1947 Judge J. Waties Waring's monumental ruling in the George Elmore suit (Elmore v. Rice) eliminated the all-white Democratic primary system in South Carolina. For the first time since 1876, the political process allowed African Americans to vote in significant numbers.
Perhaps his greatest impact as a judge was to advise Thurgood Marshall how the Briggs v. Elliott lawsuit might be filed as a constitutional lawsuit rather than one to alter busing inequities. The court ruled that Clarendon County had violated the rights of black students by not providing an equal education. The decision prompted the state to improve black schools statewide.
In February 1952, after the decision on the case of Briggs v. Elliott, Waring and his wife, moved to New York and remained there until their deaths.
Standards
- This indicator was designed to promote inquiry into military and economic policies during World War II, to include the significance of military bases in South Carolina. This indicator was also developed to foster inquiry into postwar economic developments and demographic changes, to include the immigration of Jewish refugees following the Holocaust.
- This indicator was designed to foster inquiry into the role of South Carolina in the Modern Civil Rights Movement, to include the influence of court cases such as Briggs v. Elliot and Flemming v. South Carolina Electric and Gas. This indicator was also developed to promote inquiry into the relationship between national leadership, protests, and events and South Carolina leadership, protests and events, such as the Friendship Nine and the Orangeburg Massacre.