McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in classrooms, the library, and the cafeteria.

E99509

McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents is a landmark 1950 U.S. Supreme Court case that held that segregating a Black graduate student within a previously all‑white university violated the Equal Protection Clause and helped pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf U.S. Supreme Court case
desegregation case
landmark civil rights case
areaOfLaw civil rights law
constitutional law
education law
chiefJustice Fred M. Vinson NERFINISHED
citation 339 U.S. 637
constitutionalProvision Equal Protection Clause NERFINISHED
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
country United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decision state-imposed restrictions that impair a student’s ability to study, engage, and exchange views solely because of race are unconstitutional
decisionDate 1950-06-05
decisionType unanimous decision
educationLevel graduate education
effectOnDoctrine narrowed the application of separate but equal in education
fact George W. McLaurin was admitted to the University of Oklahoma on a segregated basis
McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in classrooms
McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in the cafeteria NERFINISHED
McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in the library
followedBy Brown v. Board of Education
holding Segregating a Black graduate student within a previously all-white public university violates the Equal Protection Clause
State-imposed segregation within the same educational facilities is unconstitutional
impact helped pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education
helped undermine the separate but equal doctrine in higher education
institutionInvolved University of Oklahoma
issue Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
racial segregation in graduate education
jurisdiction United States
languageOfProceedings English
legalDoctrine separate but equal
location Oklahoma
opinionBy Fred M. Vinson NERFINISHED
partyDescription involved a Black doctoral student in education
partyRace the petitioner was Black
petitioner George W. McLaurin
precededBy Plessy v. Ferguson
precedentFor desegregation of public universities
relatedCase Brown v. Board of Education
Sweatt v. Painter
remedy removal of segregated conditions imposed on McLaurin
respondent Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
result segregation of McLaurin within the University of Oklahoma was struck down
timePeriod post-World War II civil rights era
yearDecided 1950

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents ("McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in classrooms")
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents ("McLaurin was required to sit in designated segregated areas in the library")
fact

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