The U.S. Supreme Court declared that segregation was unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. The Georgia legislature, like those of most Southern states, strongly opposed this federal ruling and created laws that kept schools from desegregating. How did this most impact local school districts? They were reorganized under the new federal ruling. They would gain federal money if they chose to desegregate. They would lose funding if they chose to desegregate. They were given more legal power under the federal ruling.