The U.S. Supreme Court case Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools, Independent School District No. 89, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma v. Robert L. Dowell et al., 1990 revolved around the issue of school desegregation in the city's public schools system and whether a federal court's supervision over such matters could be ended or not. The district had been under a court-ordered desegregation plan since 1972 but sought to return to neighborhood schools after it was declared unitary (desegregated) in 1977 by the lower courts; however, this move was seen as potentially leading back towards segregation due to residential racial patterns within the city itself. In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled that federal judicial supervision over previously segregated public school systems could indeed be withdrawn once these institutions had complied fully with desegregation orders and eliminated any remaining vestiges of past discrimination 'to practicable extent'. However, they also emphasized that careful consideration should be given before declaring districts unitary and ending oversight - particularly when there is potential for re-segregation.

In the dissenting opinion for Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools v. Robert L. Dowell, Justice Thurgood Marshall argued that the court's decision to end federal oversight of desegregation in Oklahoma City schools was premature and could potentially lead to resegregation. He emphasized that a school district should only be released from judicial supervision when it has fully complied with all aspects of a desegregation decree and demonstrated its commitment to maintaining an integrated school system without court intervention. In his view, this had not yet been achieved by the Oklahoma City School District at the time of ruling. Furthermore, he expressed concern about leaving such important decisions solely up to local authorities who may not prioritize or uphold racial integration efforts as effectively as needed.