Latin for “by law,” a legal term referring to acts, practices, or conditions that are put in place by the law. This contrasts with things that are “de facto,” or present because of the decisions of private individuals, and not because of official laws or government action. Rothstein’s thesis in The Color of Law is that the United States’ system of residential segregation is de jure, not de facto. In every American city, certain neighborhoods are all (or nearly all) African American and others are all (or nearly all) white, not because of “individual choices,” but becuase of “racially explicit policies of federal, state, and local governments.”
De jure
In law and government, de jure (/deɪ ˈdʒʊəri, di -, ˈjʊər-/day JOOR-ee, dee -, YOOR-ee; Latin: dē iūrepronounced [deː ˈjuːrɛ], “by law”) describes practices that are legally recognised, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality.[1] In contrast, de facto (“in fact”) describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally recognised.[2]