Brown v. Board of Education

=Case Number=
 * Full Case Name: Oliver Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka et al.
 * Deciding Court: Warren Court
 * Argument: December 9-11, 1952
 * Reargument: December 7-9, 1953
 * Decision: Monday, May 17, 1954

Facts of the Case
Black children were denied admission to public schools attended by white children under laws requiring or permitting segregation according to the races. The white and black schools approached equality in terms of buildings, curricula, qualifications, and teacher salaries. This case was decided together with Briggs v. Elliott and Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County.

Question Posed to the Court
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?

Final Court Ruling
Yes. Despite the equalization of the schools by "objective" factors, intangible issues foster and maintain inequality. Racial segregation in public education has a detrimental effect on minority children because it is interpreted as a sign of inferiority. The long-held doctrine that separate facilities were permissible provided they were equal was rejected. Separate but equal is inherently unequal in the context of public education. The unanimous opinion sounded the death-knell for all forms of state-maintained racial separation.