The Brown decision: Twists and turns shape the Constitution

The Supreme Court's landmark ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, the most-celebrated civil rights decision in our nation's history, is a reminder of the unpredictable twists and turns that shape American constitutional law.

On May 17, 1954, the court held that racial segregation of children in the public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The court's...