Question

read the excerpt from brown v. board of education.

in each of the cases other than the delaware case, a three - judge federal district court denied relief to the plaintiffs on the so - called \separate but equal\ doctrine announced by this court in plessy v. ferguson, 163 u.s. 537.

the supreme court cites these cases because it seeks to

• describe the unique situation in delaware courts.
• illustrate the racial biases of federal court judges.
• cite specific legal rulings in order to generalize.
• share the unique differences between the given cases.

Explanation:

The excerpt notes that most district courts relied on the Plessy v. Ferguson "separate but equal" doctrine to deny relief to plaintiffs. The Supreme Court cites these consistent lower court rulings to establish a widespread application of the doctrine, which it then addresses in Brown v. Board of Education. This is a standard legal practice of using specific rulings to generalize a broader legal issue. The other options are incorrect: the Delaware case is only a minor exception, the focus is not on judicial bias, and the excerpt emphasizes similarity rather than differences between cases.

Answer:

cite specific legal rulings in order to generalize.