1956 – Alabama Bus Segregation Law Ruled Unconstitutional

On May 28, 1956, a federal court ruled that bus segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, were unconstitutional, marking a critical victory in the Civil Rights Movement. This decision came in response to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began in December 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. The lawsuit, Browder v. Gayle, filed by four African American women, challenged the legality of racial segregation on public buses. The three-judge panel concluded that enforced segregation violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. This landmark decision set the stage for broader desegregation across the South and gave momentum to grassroots activism. The ruling directly influenced the Supreme Court\’s later decision to uphold the case. May 28 marks a key turning point in the fight for civil rights, showing the power of collective resistance and legal challenge in dismantling Jim Crow laws.