Which type of segregation is mandated by law?

Which type of segregation is mandated by law?

• A. De jure segregation
• B. De facto segregation
• C. Descriptive segregation
• D. Institutional segregation

Answer: (A)

Segregation that is mandated by law is de jure segregation. This means the government enforces the separation through statutes, ordinances, or official policy. Historically, Jim Crow laws in the South required separate facilities—schools, buses, restrooms—by law, which is why this type is described as de jure. In contrast, de facto segregation happens in practice because of social patterns and individual choices, not because a law forces it. Descriptive segregation isn’t the standard term for legal status, and institutional segregation refers to how institutions may reproduce segregation through their policies, which again ties back to how laws shape those policies. So the legally required form of segregation is de jure.

Segregation that is mandated by law is de jure segregation. This means the government enforces the separation through statutes, ordinances, or official policy. Historically, Jim Crow laws in the South required separate facilities—schools, buses, restrooms—by law, which is why this type is described as de jure. In contrast, de facto segregation happens in practice because of social patterns and individual choices, not because a law forces it. Descriptive segregation isn’t the standard term for legal status, and institutional segregation refers to how institutions may reproduce segregation through their policies, which again ties back to how laws shape those policies. So the legally required form of segregation is de jure.