Readiness
U.S. HISTORY
Key Litigation (Supreme Court Cases) to Know
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
The Supreme Court case in which a African-American (Homer Plessy) sued for the ride in the railcar of his choice and lost.
The ruling legalized segregation in public places for the next 70 years. It established the principle of “separate but equal”
and led to numerous “Jim Crow” laws, especially in the South.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Ks. (1954)
The Supreme Court case in which the family of an African-American girl (Linda Brown) sued to go to the school of her choice
and won. The ruling made segregation in public schools unconstitutional. It also overturned the ruling in the 1896 case of
Plessy v. Ferguson, ended the policy of “separate but equal,” and gave improved education opportunities for minorities.
Hernandez v. Texas (1954)
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the U.S. have equal protection
under the 14th Amendment. The systematic exclusion of persons of Mexican ancestry from juries violated the
Constitution. Example of Effects (Mexican Americans could not be excluded from participating in juries).
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
The Supreme Court case in which a family (Tinker) sued a school district (Des Moines) for the right to wear armbands
protesting the Vietnam War at school and won. The ruling said that speaking out against war is protected by the First
Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech and expression.
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Amish children could not be placed in compulsory schools past 8th grade because it
violated the parents’ rights to freedom of religion (Free Exercise Clause) Example of Effects (Prohibited all states from
claiming absolute right to compulsive education and intrude in how families raise their children)
White v. Regester (1973)
The Supreme Court case in which a District Court challenged the 1970 Texas reapportionment of legislative districts; Court
decided that the restructuring discriminated against different groups in various districts.
Supporting
Mendez v. Westminster (1946)
The federal court case that challenged racial segregation in California schools. The District court held that segregating
“Mexican” and “Mexican American” students into different “Mexican” schools was unconstitutional.
Delgado v. Bastrop ISD (1948)
The U.S. Supreme Court case that decided the separation of Mexican American children based on national origin was
illegal; forced the integration of children in Texas schools, but did allow separate classes for the first grade only, for
language deficient or non-English speaking students.
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby (1993)
The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case concerning public school finance and discrimination against students in poor school
districts; this Texas case led to the decision to redistribute property taxes from wealthy school districts to poorer ones.
Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
A young black man was refused admission to the University of Texas Law School. The State of Texas delayed 6 months in
order to create a “separate” black law school in Houston. The U.S. Supreme Court said the separation was illegal because
the school was not equal due to the Equal Protection Clause; to reach equality you must consider the quantitative
differences and the intangible factors.