Which case involved a challenge to segregation laws leading to the landmark ruling in 1954?

The case that involved a challenge to segregation laws and led to the landmark ruling in 1954 is indeed Brown vs. Board of Education. This Supreme Court case was pivotal in the fight against racial segregation in public schools. The ruling determined that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional, effectively overturning the precedent set by Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1896, which upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Brown vs. Board of Education highlighted that segregation in education created a sense of inferiority among African American children that undermined their educational opportunities. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision emphasized that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal, thus violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

This ruling not only had a profound impact on public education but also served as a catalyst for the broader civil rights movement, signaling that segregation laws could be successfully challenged in the courts.