In July 1950, Hulen issued an injunction requiring the City of St. Louis, Missouri to open its fairgrounds and Marquette swimming pools to swimmers of all races.
[1] Concurrent with his judicial service, Hulen was a lecturer at Washington University School of Law.
[citation needed] In the St. Louis case, in the course of an exchange with the city's attorney (who happened to be named James Crowe), Hulen asked rhetorically: "Does the viewpoint of the community set aside the Constitution?
"[citation needed] Author Jeff Wiltse remarks that "Hulen seemed to be saying that a black swimmer who had to walk past a whites-only pool to get to a truly equal Jim Crow pool would not be receiving equal treatment under the law, as mandated by the Fourteenth Amendment.
"[citation needed] This is the essence of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, that a black student should not have to travel to a more distant segregated school.