Which case involved desegregation and is often cited for examining how courts oversee educational integration?

• A. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• B. Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
• C. Brown v. Board of Education II (1955)
• D. Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Answer: (C)

Desegregation in practice and the court’s role in ensuring it happens. In Brown v. Board of Education II, the Supreme Court addressed how to implement the 1954 ruling that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The decision moved beyond declaring segregation illegal to prescribing how schools should desegregate. It held that desegregation should proceed with all deliberate speed and, importantly, that federal district courts had authority to supervise and enforce desegregation plans. This supervisory power shows how the judiciary can oversee the steps districts take to achieve integration, monitor progress, and impose remedies if districts lag or fail to comply. That focus on court-supervised implementation is why this case is commonly cited when examining how courts oversee educational integration. Plessy v. Ferguson is the earlier case that upheld segregation before Brown, Reynolds v. Sims deals with legislative apportionment, and Obergefell v. Hodges concerns same-sex marriage, not school desegregation.