The landmark court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional was Brown v. Board of Education. This historic decision by the U.S. Supreme Court effectively overturned the precedent set by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine. Brown argued that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling marked a significant victory for the Civil Rights Movement, as it challenged systemic racism and laid the groundwork for further desegregation efforts across the United States, influencing future civil rights legislation.