Brown V Board of Education of Topeka 1954

Title and Year

Brown V Board of Education I 1954

Court

Warren

Majority Opinion 

Earl Warren

Facts/Brief Background

After the Plessey V Ferguson decision, Kansas, North and South Carolina and Virginia passed laws which permits the counties to establish separate facilities for white and colored people. It was not made mandatory. Topeka county in Kansas voted to opt out for separate facilities for the colored and white. When 20 negro children applied for admission in a white school they were rejected. So 13 parents headed by a man named Brown filed a class action lawsuit in the US State supreme court where the supreme court said since the facilities were equal there is no need for desegregation. So Brown appealed in the supreme court. South and North Carolina and Virginia's State Supreme Court knocked down similar cases and those cases were also came for hearing in the supreme court. All these cases were supported by NAACP and other cases were heard along with Brown V Board of Education.

Issue

Does the segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race deprive the minority children of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment?

Ruling & Legal Doctrine

The court ruled in favor of the children and their parents. The court said that segregation of children for education violated the Equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Even though all the physical facilities might be the same but there is no need for discrimination in Education because mentally the students are not treated equally and this violates the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment. The court said that the separate but equal doctrine put forth by Plessy V Ferguson for transportation has no application in the field of education. So the court over ruled the decision of Plessy V Ferguson.

Significance

This decision struck down several segregation laws proposed by the states. All the schools in the United States were slowly and steadily de segregated. This decision by the Warren Court had a profound influence in the public opinion. This made it possible for the passage of the Civil Rights acts.