Cases of Segregation

After refusing to move, he was arrested.

Plessy v. Ferguson case is argued before the Supreme Court. Is Louisiana's law mandating racial segregation on its trains unconstitutional? Argued to be an unconstitutional infringement on both the privileges and immunities and the equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

7-1 decision that segregation is constitutional. Only dissenter was Justice Harlan. Justice Brewer was unable to participate.

Sweatt applied to the university, but was denied admission due to his race.

Sweatt v. Painter case is brought to the Supreme Court. Was the Texas admissions scheme wrong to deny Sweatt admission because of his race? Thurgood Marshall argued that it was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Supreme Court finds that it was unconstitutional to deny Sweatt admission because of his race. This was a unanimous decision.

A class action suit is filed against the Board of Education of the City of Topeka, Kansas.

Brown v. Board of Education argued before the Supreme Court. Is the segregation of public education, based solely on race, unconstitutional? Argued to as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Case is reargued before the court because a decision was not made before the end of the term (June 1953).

Unanimous decision that racial segregation of public education is unconstitutional.