Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Bolling v. Sharpe Case Brief

Supreme Court of the United States1954Docket #338670
98 L. Ed. 2d 884 74 S. Ct. 693 347 U.S. 497 1954 U.S. LEXIS 2095 98 L. Ed. 884 53 Ohio Op. 331 Constitutional Law Civil Procedure

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: In a companion case to Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court held that racial segregation in Washington, D.C. public schools violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, effectively applying equal protection principles to the federal government.

Legal Significance: This case established the doctrine of “reverse incorporation,” which holds that the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause contains an equal protection component that restricts the federal government in a manner comparable to how the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause restricts the states.

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

Petitioners were African American minors residing in the District of Columbia. They were denied admission to a public school attended by white children solely on the basis of their race, pursuant to a policy of racial segregation in the District’s public school system. The petitioners filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that this segregation deprived them of due process of law as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. The District Court dismissed the complaint. The Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari before judgment in the Court of Appeals, deciding to hear the case in conjunction with the state-level segregation cases consolidated under Brown v. Board of Education. Unlike the Brown cases, which involved the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause applicable to states, this case concerned the scope of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, which applies to the federal government and its territories, including the District of Columbia.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Does racial segregation in the public schools of the District of Columbia violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment?

Yes. Racial segregation in the public schools of the District of Columbia Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. E

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Does racial segregation in the public schools of the District of Columbia violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment?

Conclusion

Bolling v. Sharpe is a landmark decision that established the "reverse incorporation" Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptat

Legal Rule

Racial segregation in public schools is not reasonably related to any proper Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in repr

Legal Analysis

The Court's analysis in *Bolling* created a crucial constitutional bridge. The primary Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • Holding: Racial segregation in District of Columbia public schools violates the
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culp

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