Brown v. Board of Education

Brief Fact Summary.

African American students were denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They brought suit challenging such laws.

Synopsis of Rule of Law.

Laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality.

Facts.

This case was the consolidation of cases arising in the states of Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware, relating to the segregation of public schools on the basis of race. In each of the cases, African American students had been denied admittance to certain public schools based on laws allowing public education to be segregated by race. They argued that such segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Issue.

Does the segregation of public education based solely on race violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Held.

Yes, the segregation of public education based solely on race violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Discussion.

The Court unanimously held that “separate but equal” facilities are inherently unequal and violate the protections of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court reasoned that the segregation of public education based on race instilled a sense of inferiority that had a hugely detrimental effect on the education and personal growth of African American children, in a way “unlikely ever to be undone.”