"We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs… are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment." — Chief Justice Earl Warren, Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1954
The Court's reasoning rejected which earlier precedent?
- A
Marbury v. Madison (1803), which established judicial review
- B
Korematsu v. United States (1944), which upheld Japanese internment
- C
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which had denied citizenship to African Americans
- Dcheck_circle
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which had upheld 'separate but equal' in transportation
Explanation
Brown overturned the doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, which had legitimized de jure racial segregation under the "separate but equal" framework for over half a century.