Plessy v. Ferguson

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Homer Plessy, a mixed-race man, challenged Louisiana’s law requiring segregated railway cars. The Supreme Court upheld the law, ruling that “separate but equal” facilities for Black and white citizens did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

3) Why It Mattered
This case legitimized racial segregation and provided constitutional cover for Jim Crow laws across the South for more than half a century.

Civil Rights & Equal Protection Cases

Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Black families in several states challenged segregated public schools. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that “separate but equal” is inherently unequal, striking down racial segregation in public education under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

3) Why It Mattered
This case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) in the context of public education and became the foundation of the modern civil rights movement. It signaled that state-enforced segregation was unconstitutional.

Civil Rights & Equal Protection Cases

Cooper v. Aaron

Cooper v. Aaron (1958)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
After Brown v. Board of Education, Arkansas officials resisted desegregation at Little Rock Central High School. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states are bound by Supreme Court decisions and cannot nullify or delay constitutional rights through state action.

3) Why It Mattered
This case established that Supreme Court rulings are the supreme law of the land, binding on all states and officials. It directly confronted efforts to resist desegregation.