The significant legal decision that upheld racial segregation in public facilities in the late 19th century was Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities for African Americans and whites did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This landmark case legitimized the practice of Jim Crow laws, allowing states to maintain racial segregation and disenfranchise black citizens. It reinforced systemic racism in the United States, perpetuating inequalities that endured for decades until the civil rights movements challenged these discriminatory practices.