Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
349 U.S. 294 · Decided May 31, 1955 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was decided on May 31, 1955 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 349 U.S. 294 · 75 S. Ct. 753 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 1083 · 1955 U.S. LEXIS 734
- Docket number
- 1
- Decided
- May 31, 1955
- Argued
- April 11, 1955
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority |
Full case caption
Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1954-085, docket 1954-085-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Lucy v. Adams
- Florida ex Rel. Hawkins v. Board of Control of Florida
- Brown v. Board of Education of TopekaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Bolling v. SharpeLaw held unconstitutional
- Pennsylvania v. Board of Directors of City Trusts of the City of Philadelphia
- Aaron v. Cooper
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Williams v. Georgia
- Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc.
- Watson et Ux. v. Employers Liability Assurance Corporation, Ltd.
- Michel v. Louisiana
- Griffin v. IllinoisLaw held unconstitutional
- Hernandez v. Texas
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Rice v. Sioux City Memorial Park Cemetery, Inc.
- United States v. Brown
- Diehl v. Lehigh Valley Railroad Co.
- United States v. Menasche
- Shomberg v. United States
- Pino v. Landon
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error