The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Trump judicial nominees decline to endorse Brown v. Board under Senate questioning

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May 16, 2019 at 7:28 p.m. EDT
George E.C. Hayes, left, Thurgood Marshall and James M. Nabrit celebrate May 17, 1954, outside the Supreme Court following the ruling on Brown v. Board of Education. The unanimous decision in the case is widely seen as one of the high court’s greatest moments. (AP)

For months, a Democratic senator has been asking Trump judicial nominees what appears to be a straightforward question: Was Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark decision that ended legalized school segregation, properly decided?

Legal scholars across the ideological spectrum say the answer is clearly yes. Still, more than two dozen nominees have declined to answer the question at a time when many schools remain segregated by race.