Brown+v+Board+of+Educationwiki.docx

Brown+v+Board+of+Educationwiki.docx

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Brownv.BoardofEducation

Brownv.BoardofEducationofTopeka

SupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates

ArguedDecember9,1952

RearguedDecember8,1953

DecidedMay17,1954

Fullcasename:

OliverBrownetal.v.BoardofEducationofTopekaetal.

Citations:

347U.S.483（seemore...）;74S.Ct.686;98L.Ed.873;1954U.S.LEXIS2094;53OhioOp.326;38A.L.R.2d1180

Priorhistory:

Judgmentfordefendants,98F.Supp.797（D.Kan.1951）

Subsequenthistory:

Judgmentonrelief,349U.S.294（1955）（BrownII）;onremand,139F.Supp.468（D.Kan.1955）;motiontointervenegranted,84F.R.D.383（D.Kan.1979）;judgmentfordefendants,671F.Supp.1290（D.Kan.1987）;reversed,892F.2d851（10thCir.1989）;vacated,503U.S.978（1992）（BrownIII）;judgmentreinstated,978F.2d585（10thCir.1992）;judgmentfordefendants,56F.Supp.2d1212（D.Kan.1999）

Holding

SegregationofstudentsinpublicschoolsviolatestheEqualProtectionClauseoftheFourteenthAmendment,becauseseparatefacilitiesareinherentlyunequal.DistrictCourtofKansasreversed.

Courtmembership

ChiefJustice:

EarlWarren

AssociateJustices:

HugoBlack,StanleyFormanReed,FelixFrankfurter,WilliamO.Douglas,RobertH.Jackson,HaroldHitzBurton,TomC.Clark,ShermanMinton

Caseopinions

Majorityby:

Warren

Joinedby:

Unanimous

Lawsapplied

U.S.Const.amend.XIV

EducationalseparationintheUSpriortoBrown

Brownv.BoardofEducationofTopeka,347U.S.483（1954）,[1]wasalandmarkdecisionoftheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt,whichoverturnedearlierrulingsgoingbacktoPlessyv.Fergusonin1896,bydeclaringthatstatelawsthatestablishedseparatepublicschoolsforblackandwhitestudentsdeniedblackchildrenequaleducationalopportunities.HandeddownonMay17,1954,theWarrenCourt'sunanimous（9-0）decisionstatedthat"separateeducationalfacilitiesareinherentlyunequal."Asaresult,dejureracialsegregationwasruledaviolationoftheEqualProtectionClauseoftheFourteenthAmendmentoftheUnitedStatesConstitution.Thisvictorypavedthewayforintegrationandthecivilrightsmovement.[2]

Background

MuchoftheninetyyearsprecedingtheBrowncase,racerelationsintheU.S.hadbeendominatedbyracialsegregation.Thispolicyhadbeenendorsedin1896bytheUnitedStatesSupremeCourtcaseofPlessyv.Ferguson,whichheldthataslongastheseparatefacilitiesfortheseparateraceswere"equal,"thesegregationdidnotviolatetheFourteenthAmendment（"nostateshall...denytoanyperson...theequalprotectionofthelaws."）

TheplaintiffsinBrownassertedthatthissystemofracialseparation,whilemasqueradingasprovidingseparatebutrelativelyequaltreatmentofbothwhiteandblackAmericans,insteadperpetuatedinferioraccommodations,services,andtreatmentforblackAmericans.Racialsegregationineducationvariedwidelyfromthe17statesthatrequiredracialsegregationtothe16thatprohibitedit.BrownwasinfluencedbyUNESCO's1950Statement,signedbyawidevarietyofinternationally-renownedscholars,titledTheRaceQuestion.[3]Thisdeclarationdenouncedpreviousattemptsatscientificallyjustifyingracismaswellasmorallycondemningracism.AnotherworkthattheSupremeCourtcitedwasGunnarMyrdal'sAnAmericanDilemma:

TheNegroProblemandModernDemocracy（1944）.MyrdalhadbeenasignatoryoftheUNESCOdeclaration.TheresearchperformedbytheeducationalpsychologistsKennethB.ClarkandMamiePhippsClarkalsoinfluencedtheCourt'sdecision.[4]TheClark's"dolltest"studiespresentedsubstantialargumentstotheSupremeCourtabouthowsegregationhadanimpactonblackschoolchildren'smentalstatus.[5]

Brownv.BoardofEducation

In1951,aclassactionsuitwasfiledagainsttheBoardofEducationoftheCityofTopeka,KansasintheU.S.DistrictCourtfortheDistrictofKansas.TheplaintiffswerethirteenTopekaparentsonbehalfoftheirtwentychildren.[6]

Thesuitcalledfortheschooldistricttoreverseitspolicyofracialsegregation.SeparateelementaryschoolswereoperatedbytheTopekaBoardofEducationunderan1879Kansaslaw,whichpermitted（butdidnotrequire）districtstomaintainseparateelementaryschoolfacilitiesforblackandwhitestudentsintwelvecommunitieswithpopulationsover15,000.TheplaintiffshadbeenrecruitedbytheleadershipoftheTopekaNAACP.NotableamongtheTopekaNAACPleaderswerethechairmanMcKinleyBurnett;CharlesScott,oneofthreeservingaslegalcounselforthechapter;andLucindaTodd.

Thenamedplaintiff,OliverL.Brown,wasaparent,awelderintheshopsoftheSantaFeRailroad,anassistantpastorathislocalchurch,andanAfricanAmerican.[7]HewasconvincedtojointhelawsuitbyScott,achildhoodfriend.Brown'sdaughterLinda,athirdgrader,hadtowalksixblockstoherschoolbusstoptoridetoMonroeElementary,hersegregatedblackschoolonemile（1.6km）away,whileSumnerElementary,awhiteschool,wassevenblocksfromherhouse.[8][9]

AsdirectedbytheNAACPleadership,theparentseachattemptedtoenrolltheirchildrenintheclosestneighborhoodschoolinthefallof1951.Theywereeachrefusedenrollmentanddirectedtothesegregatedschools.LindaBrownThompsonlaterrecalledtheexperienceina2004PBSdocumentary:

. . .well.likeIsay,welivedinanintegratedneighborhoodandIhadalloftheseplaymatesofdifferentnationalities.AndsowhenIfoundoutthatdaythatImightbeabletogototheirschool,Iwasjustthrilled,youknow.AndIrememberwalkingovertoSumnerschoolwithmydadthatdayandgoingupthestepsoftheschoolandtheschoollookedsobigtoasmallerchild.AndIremembergoinginsideandmydadspokewithsomeoneandthenhewentintotheinnerofficewiththeprincipalandtheyleftmeout. . .tositoutsidewiththesecretary.Andwhilehewasintheinneroffice,Icouldhearvoicesandhearhisvoiceraised,youknow,astheconversationwenton.Andthenheimmediatelycameoutoftheoffice,tookmebythehandandwewalkedhomefromtheschool.Ijustcouldn'tunderstandwhatwashappeningbecauseIwassosurethatIwasgoingtogotoschoolwithMonaandGuinevere,Wanda,andallofmyplaymates.[10]

TheKansascase,"OliverBrownetalv.TheBoardofEducationofTopeka,Kansas,"wasnamedafterOliverBrownasalegalstrategytohaveamanattheheadoftheroster.Also,itwasfeltbylawyerswiththeNationalChapteroftheNAACP,thathavingMr.BrownattheheadoftherosterwouldbebetterreceivedbytheU.S.SupremeCourtJusticesbecauseMr.Brownhadanintact,completefamily,asopposedtosomeonewhowasasingleparentheadofhousehold[citationneeded].Thethirteenplaintiffswere:

OliverBrown,DarleneBrown,LenaCarper,SadieEmmanuel,MargueriteEmerson,ShirleyFleming,ZelmaHenderson,ShirleyHodison,MaudeLawton,AlmaLewis,IonaRichardson,andLucindaTodd.[11][12]Thelastsurvivingplaintiff,ZelmaHenderson,diedinTopeka,onMay20,2008,attheageof88.[13][14]

TheDistrictCourtruledinfavoroftheBoardofEducation,citingtheU.S.SupremeCourtprecedentsetinPlessyv.Ferguson,163U.S.537（1896）,whichhadupheldastatelawrequiring"separatebutequal"segregatedfacilitiesforblacksandwhitesinrailwaycars.[15]Thethree-judgeDistrictCourtfoundthatsegregationinpubliceducationhasadetrimentaleffectuponnegrochildren,butdeniedreliefonthegroundthatthenegroandwhiteschoolsinTopekaweresubstantiallyequalwithrespecttobuildings,transportation,curricular,andeducationalqualificationsofteachers.[16]

GeorgeE.C.Hayes,ThurgoodMarshall,andJamesNabrit,congratulatingeachother,followingSupremeCourtdecisiondeclaringsegregationunconstitutional

SupremeCourtreview

ThecaseofBrownv.BoardofEducationasheardbeforetheSupremeCourtcombinedfivecases:

Brownitself,Briggsv.Elliott（filedinSouthCarolina）,Davisv.CountySchoolBoardofPrinceEdwardCounty（filedinVirginia）,Gebhartv.Belton（filedinDelaware）,andBollingv.Sharpe（filedinWashingtonD.C.）.

AllwereNAACP-sponsoredcases.TheDaviscase,theonlycaseofthefiveoriginatingfromastudentprotest,beganwhensixteen-year-oldBarbaraRoseJohnsorganizedandleda450-studentwalkoutofMotonHighSchool.[17]

TheKansascasewasuniqueamongthegroupinthattherewasnocontentionofgrossinferiorityofthesegregatedschools'physicalplant,curriculum,orstaff.Thedistrictcourtfoundsubstantialequalityastoallsuchfactors.TheDelawarecasewasuniqueinthattheDistrictCourtjudgeinGebhartorderedthattheblackstudentsbeadmittedtothewhitehighschoolduetothesubstantialharmofsegregationandthedifferencesthatmadetheschoolsseparatebutnotequal.TheNAACP'schiefcounsel,ThurgoodMarshall—whowaslaterappointedtotheU.S.SupremeCourtin1967—arguedthecasebeforetheSupremeCourtfortheplaintiffs.AssistantattorneygeneralPaulWilson—laterdistinguishedemeritusprofessoroflawattheUniversityofKansas—conductedthestate'sambivalentdefenseinhisfirstappellatetrial.

Localoutcomes

TheTopekamiddleschoolshadbeenintegratedsince1941.TopekaHighSchoolwasintegratedfromitsinceptionin1871anditssportsteamsfrom1949on.[18]TheKansaslawpermittingsegregatedschoolsallowedthemonly"belowthehighschoollevel."[19]

Soonafterthedistrictcourtdecision,electionoutcomesandthepoliticalclimateinTopekachanged.TheBoardofEducationofTopekabegantoendsegregationintheTopekaelementaryschoolsinAugust1953,integratingtwoattendancedistricts.AlltheTopekaelementaryschoolswerechangedto