douglas did not dispute that "railroad comm'n" was an appropriate precedent. however, he argued that in certain cases, the precedent could be used as a tactic to delay justice. the case at hand presented unique, pressing issues regarding fundamental civil rights, he said, "it seems plain to me that it was the district court's duty to provide this remedy," he concluded. "where state laws made such an assault as these do on our decisions and a state has spoken defiantly against the constitutional rights of the citizens, reasons for showing deference to local institutions vanish."