Brown v.

Board of Education Topeka (1954)

General Rule of Law: Students of any color should be able to attend any public school of their

choosing.

Procedure Summary:

Plaintiffs: Oliver Brown (P), and four other plaintiffs from four other suits,

Defendant: Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (D)

State Trial Court Decision: Held for Board of Education Topeka, Kansas (D)

Supreme Court Decision: Oliver Brown (P), and other students of color

Facts: This case was a consolidation of four different suits that took place in four different states

by the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In each case an

African American student was denied admission to an all-white public school. This was

permitted under laws which allowed segregation under race. Brown (P) claimed that segregation

deprived students of color of equal protection under the 14th amendment. Brown then filed a

class action suit, consolidating cases from four other states (Virginia, South Carolina, Delaware,

and Kansas) against the Board of Education (D) in a federal district court in Kansas.

Issue: Does segregation based on race deprive students of color equal educational opportunities,

violating the 14th Amendment?

Holding and Decision: Yes. The court viewed public education as one of the most important

and valuable services that state and local governments have to offer. The courts believed that

education had a huge bearing on the future success of each student of color, and that the

opportunity to be educated must be equal to each student. The courts stated that segregation has a

profound and detrimental effect on the hearts and minds of students of color. Chief Justice Earl
Warren ordered that the district courts and local school authorities take steps to integrate public

schools in their jurisdictions. Overturned.

Comment: This case paved the way for the desegregating of public schools in the United States.

This case put an end to the idea “separate but equal.”

 Reference
Brown v. Board of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2018, from

https://legaldictionary.net/brown-v-board-of-education/

Duignan, B. (2018, January 22). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Retrieved February

25, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Brown-v-Board-of-Education-of-Topeka