Bolling v. Sharpe

Background

A group of schoolchildren of the Negro race were denied admission to a public school in the District of Columbia because of their race. They sued in the District Court asking to be admitted, but the court dismissed their complaint. The Supreme Court took the case directly before the Court of Appeals because the constitutional question was important. The children argued that being kept out of school solely for their race violated the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of fair treatment under the law.

Reasoning

The Court explained that although the Fifth Amendment does not use the phrase "equal protection," the ideas of equal protection and due process both come from our national ideal of fairness. The Court relied on its recent ruling that states may not maintain segregated public schools and said the Federal Government must meet at least the same standard. It found that segregation in public education is not reasonably related to any proper government objective and therefore arbitrarily deprives Black children of their liberty protected by due process.

Real world impact

The Court held that racial segregation in District of Columbia public schools violates the Fifth Amendment, so segregated school admissions in D.C. are unlawful. The decision restores the case for further argument on other questions the Court previously raised, so some issues remain to be addressed. In the immediate term, the ruling removes the legal basis for keeping Black children out of white public schools in the District by school boards and local officials.