In its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overruled ______ and the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

In its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court overruled ______ and the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson
• B. Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education
• C. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
• D. Loving v. Virginia

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how the Constitution is applied to equality in public life, and when the Court can overturn an earlier ruling. Brown v. Board of Education rejects the premise from Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation could be constitutional as long as facilities were “equal.” Brown holds that segregation itself creates inequality and stigma, so separate schools are inherently unequal and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. By overturning Plessy’s standard, Brown moves the legal standard from “separate but equal” to genuine equality in access to public education. Other cases mentioned deal with different civil rights issues—such as anti-miscegenation laws in Loving, desegregation remedies in Swann, and funding questions in Cumming—but Brown’s decisive change is overturning the earlier justification for segregation established by Plessy.

The main idea here is how the Constitution is applied to equality in public life, and when the Court can overturn an earlier ruling. Brown v. Board of Education rejects the premise from Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation could be constitutional as long as facilities were “equal.” Brown holds that segregation itself creates inequality and stigma, so separate schools are inherently unequal and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. By overturning Plessy’s standard, Brown moves the legal standard from “separate but equal” to genuine equality in access to public education. Other cases mentioned deal with different civil rights issues—such as anti-miscegenation laws in Loving, desegregation remedies in Swann, and funding questions in Cumming—but Brown’s decisive change is overturning the earlier justification for segregation established by Plessy.