What landmark Supreme Court case addressed school desegregation in California?

Mendez v. Westminster is the landmark Supreme Court case that directly addressed school desegregation in California. Decided in 1947, this case challenged the segregation of Mexican American schoolchildren in California schools. The ruling declared that the segregation of children based on national origin was unconstitutional, setting a significant precedent for future civil rights cases, particularly influencing the later Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which addressed racial segregation in schools nationwide.

Mendez v. Westminster specifically focused on the practices in California, highlighting the importance of community activism and legal challenges against discriminatory policies. The case successfully argued that segregating Mexican American students into separate schools created a harmful educational environment, which violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

This decision was crucial in the fight for educational equality in California, paving the way for broader civil rights movements across the U.S. and serving as a foundational case for subsequent efforts to end segregation in American schools.