Which case declared separate facilities inherently unequal and ended segregation in public schools?

Which case declared separate facilities inherently unequal and ended segregation in public schools?

• A. Plessy v Ferguson
• B. Gideon v Wainwright
• C. Brown v Board of Education
• D. In re Gault

Answer: (C)

This question tests how the Supreme Court used the 14th Amendment to challenge segregation in public schools. Brown v. Board of Education declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, ruling that segregation in schooling violates equal protection and cannot be maintained. This overturned the long-standing Plessy v. Ferguson standard of “separate but equal,” showing that inequality arises from segregation itself, not just from unequal facilities. The decision is focused on education and desegregation, setting a national precedent that public schools must be integrated. Other cases mentioned deal with different rights—Gideon v. Wainwright guarantees an attorney in criminal cases, and In re Gault extends due process rights to juveniles—so they don’t address school segregation.

This question tests how the Supreme Court used the 14th Amendment to challenge segregation in public schools. Brown v. Board of Education declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, ruling that segregation in schooling violates equal protection and cannot be maintained. This overturned the long-standing Plessy v. Ferguson standard of “separate but equal,” showing that inequality arises from segregation itself, not just from unequal facilities. The decision is focused on education and desegregation, setting a national precedent that public schools must be integrated. Other cases mentioned deal with different rights—Gideon v. Wainwright guarantees an attorney in criminal cases, and In re Gault extends due process rights to juveniles—so they don’t address school segregation.