On what question did the US Supreme Court rule in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Answer 1

The question before the Supreme Court was whether Louisiana's 1890 Separate Car Act (Act 111), that required racial segregation in railroad travel, was constitutional under the 13th and 14th Amendments.

Specifically:

"Is Louisiana's law mandating racial segregation on its trains an unconstitutional infringement on both the privileges and immunities and the equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment?"

Case Citation:

Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 US 537 (1896)

Answer 2

The US Supreme Court ruled on the question of whether racial segregation was constitutional under the "separate but equal" doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court held that segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities provided for different races were equal in quality, thereby establishing the doctrine of "separate but equal." This decision subsequently justified racial segregation and discrimination for several decades.