Although the impact of the Mendez case was limited, its real importance was to test new legal arguments and evidence against segregation in the public schools. This paved the way for the historic Brown v. Board of Education case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954.
The 1946 court case Mendez v. Westminster School District had an immediate impact on Southern California and put a human face on the legacy of racism and potential psychological costs to American children
