Procedural History: The cases arose from separate suits in four different states all with the same legal question, which justified their consolidation into a single class action lawsuit. The Delaware Supreme Court granted the plaintiff's access to the white school, because it was found to be superior, but in every other case the plaintiffs were denied access to the white schools to which they sought admission. The US Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Facts: This case arose from a group of cases out of Kansas, Virginia, Delaware, and South Carolina wherein black minor students sought the aid of the courts in obtaining admission to the public schools of their community on a non-segregated basis. In each case, the black students had been denied admission to schools attended by white children under the "separate but equal" doctrine announced in Plessy v. Ferguson, which made segregation in public schools mandatory or permissible. In physical respects, including buildings, teaching curricula, teacher's …show more content…
Holding: Yes. Even assuming equal facilities, if children in public schools are segregated solely on the basis of their race, the minority group is deprived of equal educational opportunities, and equal protection under the law.
Rationale/Reasoning: Finding legislative history and 14th Amendment precedents insufficient to answer the question alone, the court instead looked directly at the effect of segregation on public education, and determined that the "separate but equal" rule cannot apply in the field of education. The court noted that separating children into different public schools solely on the basis of race violates the equal protection clause
Facts: This case arose from a group of cases out of Kansas, Virginia, Delaware, and South Carolina wherein black minor students sought the aid of the courts in obtaining admission to the public schools of their community on a non-segregated basis. In each case, the black students had been denied admission to schools attended by white children under the "separate but equal" doctrine announced in Plessy v. Ferguson, which made segregation in public schools mandatory or permissible. In physical respects, including buildings, teaching curricula, teacher's …show more content…
Holding: Yes. Even assuming equal facilities, if children in public schools are segregated solely on the basis of their race, the minority group is deprived of equal educational opportunities, and equal protection under the law.
Rationale/Reasoning: Finding legislative history and 14th Amendment precedents insufficient to answer the question alone, the court instead looked directly at the effect of segregation on public education, and determined that the "separate but equal" rule cannot apply in the field of education. The court noted that separating children into different public schools solely on the basis of race violates the equal protection clause