[1] McMillan became one of the first United States district court judges to explicitly approve busing as a remedy for racially segregated schools in the spring of 1970.
In the case, McMillan also set racial balance as a standard by which progress in desegregation could be measured.
Instantly controversial, McMillan received death threats due to his opinion, and needed to be placed under police protection.
The case (Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education) soon reached the Supreme Court, where it was the subject of intense debate and negotiations among the justices.
McMillan achieved temporary fame in the aftermath of this decision, appearing in newspapers across the country, including The New York Times.