Murray v. Pearson

Murray v. Pearson was a legal case in 1936 involving the University of Maryland and a Black student, Donald Murray. Murray wanted to attend the university’s law school, but was initially denied because of racial segregation policies. The case challenged this discrimination, and the Supreme Court of Maryland ultimately ruled that the state’s segregation practices violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The decision marked a significant step toward ending racial segregation in education, affirming that separating students based on race was unconstitutional and helping pave the way for broader civil rights advances.