Final answer:
The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling is an example of a policy that overcame de facto discrimination by declaring that segregated public schools are unconstitutional, violating the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brown v. Board of Education
An example of a policy aimed chiefly to overcome de facto discrimination is the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case. This case successfully challenged the principle of "separate but equal" established by Plessy v. Ferguson, asserting that racially segregated public schools violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision stated that segregated schools inherently signal to African Americans that they are inferior, which is detrimental and unconstitutional. This ruling was a major victory in the civil rights movement, and it paved the way for integration and the dismantling of de jure segregation in public education. The case represented a significant step forward in the fight against discrimination and inequality in the United States.