The Aporia
Blackman, J. (2026, October 9). Today in Supreme Court History: October 9, 1954. Reason. https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/09/today-in-supreme-court-history-october-9-1954-8/
Blackman, Josh. “Today in Supreme Court History: October 9, 1954.” Reason, 9 Oct. 2026, https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/09/today-in-supreme-court-history-october-9-1954-8/.
Blackman, Josh. “Today in Supreme Court History: October 9, 1954.” Reason, October 9, 2026. https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/09/today-in-supreme-court-history-october-9-1954-8/.
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On October 9, 1954, the *Supreme Court* issued a decision in *Bolling v. Sharpe*, ruling that racial segregation in Washington D.C.'s public schools was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. This case paralleled the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision made earlier that year, which struck down school segregation as unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. The *Bolling* decision extended the principles established by *Brown* to areas outside state jurisdiction, such as Washington D.C., marking a significant step forward in civil rights legislation.