This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most consequential state court rulings under the U.S. Housing Act. In 1975, the New Jersey Supreme Court established groundbreaking principles. Municipalities cannot use zoning laws to rule out low-income families living within the borders.
Today, the policy framework that emerged from that case, South Burlington County NAACP vs. Mount Laurel Townshipa More powerful than ever In the editing of New Jersey Housing Policy. It’s getting more and more Model of reform Nationwide.
By banning exclusive zoning and asserting that all municipalities in New Jersey have a constitutional obligation to create a “fair share” of affordable housing; Mount Laurel They faced directly the use of land use policies as a tool for racial and economic segregation.
But the story of Mount Laurel It also provides calm lessons on the limitations of legal judgments. It required 50 years of merciless advocacy, continued litigation and hard political progress. The most powerful policy in the country Requesting affordable homes in historically exclusive communities.
Zoning as a tool for separation
After the US Supreme Court abolishes explicit racial zoning laws Buchanan vs Worley In 1917, local governments began using facial neutral land use policies, including large-scale zoning and minimum area requirements, to achieve similar exclusion objectives. These tools have allowed the creation of municipalities that could often afford to live in the community by banning the construction of multifamily homes and smaller, affordable housing types. Over time, exclusive zoning has become a central mechanism for perpetuating quarantine across the United States.
It was truly dynamic in the outskirts of Laurel, south Jersey suburbs of the early 1970s. When Mount Laurel experienced an influx of wealthy white people, the prices were paid for the town’s centuries-old black community. In response, members of the local community led by Ethel R. Lawrence, known as “Rosa Park of Affordable Housing,” led efforts to create 36 affordable homes.
Disappointing the community, the Zoning Committee blocked efforts to build affordable housing. Rather than back down, they joined forces with the South Burlington NAACP, Camden County NAACP and attorneys of the Camden Legal Services Office. These community leaders and lawyers have won an astonishing victory in filing a lawsuit against Mount Laurel, stating that every municipality in New Jersey must promote production of a “fair share” of affordable housing.
A few months after the decision was made, the supporters who filed the lawsuit established our organization; Fairshare housing centerbrings promises to Mount Laurel In reality.
From legal victory to political reality
The success of Mount Laurel’s framework is based on strong enforcement by the courts and the state government. This was not always the case. In decades following the decision, many towns resisted compliance and sought ways to use lawsuits to delay enforcement or avoid housing obligations.
Mount Laurel II The 1983 ruling further established details of what turned out to be: Laurel Doctrine Mountwhich led to the production of tens of thousands of affordable homes in the 1980s and 1990s.
However, from the late 1990s until 2015, state leaders hampered the implementation of Mount Laurel doctrine, leading to a huge gap in housing supply that the state still keeps up. New Jersey’s affordable housing reached its lowest stage under Governor Chris Christie (R), who served as governor since 2010 and 2018. I fought with my teeth and claws To undermine the doctrine of Mount Laurel.
Finally, in 2015, the New Jersey Supreme Court Mount Laurel IV case. After 15 years of non-enforcement by state agencies, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the judicial system is responsible for local government compliance.
Since then, New Jersey has seen a boom in apartment complexes. In 2015 alone, we will create over 25,000 affordable homes. Many of the new homes are strategically located near public transport, redeveloping outdated office parks and shopping centres.
Historically, Mount Laurel’s doctrine was largely supported by judicial intervention. New Jersey Landmark 2024 Affordable Housing Act, Promoted by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and legislative leaders; It showed a big change In the political landscape of affordable housing.
The new law adds teeth to the Laurel Mountain framework by setting up a clear enforcement mechanism for the town’s affordable housing obligations over the next decade, making it difficult for wealthy towns to block new developments. It streamlines the development process for all involved by codifying the methodology used to determine the new affordable housing needed by each municipality to allow.
The law gives towns a wide range of tools to create affordable housing in the way they like. You can choose from local government Various options – 100% affordable housing, mixed income housing, support housing for the elderly and disabled, or reuse of abandoned malls and offices.
There are also strict income restrictions that towns must follow to ensure that affordable homes are truly affordable. At least 50% of homes should be affordable for low-income residents (earning less than 50% of the local median) and at least 13% of homes should be reserved for very low-income residents (earning less than 30% of the local median income). The rest should be affordable for medium-income earners who earn between 50% and 80% of their regional median income.
Thanks to the new law, Most municipalities New Jersey is currently building affordable homes. This is much more than ever in the 50-year history of Mount Laurel’s framework.
Mount Laurel National Relevance
To make the US worse Housing affordability crisismany states are revisiting land use laws. California, Florida, Massachusetts, Montana and Texas recently enacted reforms that incorporate elements of the New Jersey model. For example, in Massachusetts, certain communities near transport for multifamily homes are approaching zones from zones, but developers can override local zoning rules to build affordable units in municipalities with less than 10% of homes.
What sets New Jersey apart is not only the breadth of affordable housing requirements that apply to all municipalities, but the fact that these obligations have evolved through 50 years of law enforcement, community organization and policy development. And thanks to New Jersey’s new Affordable Housing Act, the state now has a structure in which courts, advocates and state agencies play a clear role in ensuring compliance.
Today, more than 400,000 New Jerseys live in houses created through the doctrine of Mount Laurel. Fifty years after the original ruling, it exists as one of the most durable and influential examples of the state constitution used to combat structural inequality. It opened the doors to exclusive communities and positioned New Jersey as the national leader in housing policy.
The story of Mount Laurel It highlights the important role that state courts can play in promoting civil rights. While federal courts have been more constrained in recent decades, state constitutions and state judiciary provide an important pathway to advance racial and economic justice.
For other states seeking to tackle the housing crisis, the Laurel Mountain doctrine provides a compelling model not only for what the court can demand, but also for what long-term political engagement can be achieved.
The lesson is clear: legal victory is important, but without sustained enforcement they disappear into oblivion. Mount Laurel doctrine endures because it was followed, refined, and now it has laws on the structure of New Jersey.
Jag Davies is the Director of Communications at the Fairshare Housing Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The organization is now a major initiative to implement the state’s new Affordable Housing Act.
Suggested Quote: I am Davis, Mount Laurel, 50: New Jersey blueprint to demolish residential quarantine; sᴛᴀᴛᴛcᴏᴜʀᴛrᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ (September 2, 2025), https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/mount-laurel-50-new-jerseys-blueprint-dismantling-residential-segregation
