A) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka CORRECT This is the correct answer. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court's unanimous decision overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine, declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. This landmark case was a major victory for the civil rights movement and paved the way for desegregation across the nation.
B) Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association INCORRECT This case dealt with the constitutionality of mandatory union fees for public employees, not school segregation. The case was argued in 2016 but resulted in a 4-4 tie after Justice Scalia's death, leaving the lower court's decision in place. It did not address the Equal Protection Clause in the context of race or education.
C) Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State of New York INCORRECT This was a state-level case in New York that challenged the adequacy of school funding, not segregation. The New York Court of Appeals ruled that the state had failed to provide a sound basic education to New York City students. It did not involve the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause or racial segregation.
D) Regents of the University of California v. Bakke INCORRECT This 1978 Supreme Court case addressed affirmative action in higher education admissions. The Court ruled that racial quotas were unconstitutional but allowed race to be considered as one factor in admissions. It did not concern school segregation or the Equal Protection Clause in the context of K-12 education.
