Brown v. Board: the conclusion
Chief Justice Earl Warren, for a unanimous Court · 1954
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Warren names the harm that separation does to children, says modern evidence supports that finding, rejects the contrary language of the older case, and states the holding. The excerpt is the closing passage, without the block quotation it introduces.
What you will practice
- 01State the harm before you state the rule
- 02Overrule an authority by naming exactly what is rejected
- 03Let the decisive sentence stand alone
Prepared source text
172 words · 8 sentencesSuch considerations apply with added force to children in grade and high schools. To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.
Whatever may have been the extent of psychological knowledge at the time of Plessy v. Ferguson, this finding is amply supported by modern authority. Any language in Plessy v. Ferguson contrary to this finding is rejected.
We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. This disposition makes unnecessary any discussion whether such segregation also violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Source and rights
Opinions of United States courts carry no copyright — they are edicts of government and stand in the public domain. Scripta reproduces the wording as published and normalizes only typography.