This study records the political, social, and legal aspects of "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" and other school segregation cases by means of court records, testimony, recent opinions of 60 social scientists, and interviews with the 30 judges, lawyers, witnesses, and plaintiffs who were involved. It presents specific information on the university cases in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, and decisions in South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia which preceded or were concurrent with the "Brown" decision. The legal environment of this decision, with its implications for interpreting the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the role of social scientists in the case are discussed in detail. An appendix contains the statement made by the social scientists on the effects of segregation and the consequences of desegregation which was introduced into the Supreme Court as an argument for desegregation. (EF)