Which case declared that 'separate but equal' is unconstitutional in education?

Which case declared that 'separate but equal' is unconstitutional in education?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education
• B. Plessy v. Ferguson
• C. Katzenbach v. Morgan
• D. Obergefell v. Hodges

Answer: (A)

This question tests understanding of how the Supreme Court treated racial segregation in public education under the Fourteenth Amendment. The landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education held that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional, overturning the long-standing Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of “separate but equal” in the context of schooling. The decision emphasized that state-imposed segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause because the separate facilities were not truly equal in purpose, quality, or effect, and it highlighted the harmful impact of segregation on students. That broader standard isn’t about education in the other listed cases. Plessy v. Ferguson is the case that established the original doctrine of “separate but equal,” which Brown rejected for schools. Katzenbach v. Morgan and Obergefell v. Hodges address altogether different issues—voting rights and marriage equality, respectively—so they don’t declare segregation in education unconstitutional.

This question tests understanding of how the Supreme Court treated racial segregation in public education under the Fourteenth Amendment. The landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education held that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional, overturning the long-standing Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of “separate but equal” in the context of schooling. The decision emphasized that state-imposed segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause because the separate facilities were not truly equal in purpose, quality, or effect, and it highlighted the harmful impact of segregation on students.

That broader standard isn’t about education in the other listed cases. Plessy v. Ferguson is the case that established the original doctrine of “separate but equal,” which Brown rejected for schools. Katzenbach v. Morgan and Obergefell v. Hodges address altogether different issues—voting rights and marriage equality, respectively—so they don’t declare segregation in education unconstitutional.