Legal segregation enforced by government policy is known as what?

• A. De facto segregation
• B. Due process clause
• C. Establishment clause
• D. De jure segregation

Answer: (D)

Legal segregation enforced by government policy is called de jure segregation. The phrase de jure means “by law,” so it describes systems where laws, court rulings, or official policies mandate separation of groups, such as in schools or public facilities. This is the kind of segregation created or upheld by government actions, like the historical Jim Crow laws in the United States. In contrast, de facto segregation arises from social, economic, or demographic factors—practices that result in separation without an explicit legal mandate. The other options refer to different constitutional ideas (such as rights protected by the due process clause or the establishment clause) or to segregation that exists in practice rather than by law, so they don’t describe the legally mandated form. Hence, the term that fits is de jure segregation.