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Earl Warren, 1891-1974
When President Dwight Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as chief justice of the United States in 1953, no one had any idea of the far-reaching impact Warren would have on the Supreme Court. But with the Court's historic decision of 1954 requiring school desegregation, Americans soon had an indication. The unanimous findings in "Brown v the Board of Education of the City of Topeka" disallowed the right of local jurisdictions to segregate their public school systems by race. In words carefully chosen to ensure everyone would understand his meaning, Warren declared on behalf of his fellow justices: "In the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate by equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Despite attempts by many southern states to block forced integration in ensuing years, the Brown decision ultimately prevailed.
Emil Jean Kosa Jr., 1963 |