On December 12, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a pivotal decision in Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, marking a significant step toward dismantling racial segregation in education.?Library of Congress Tile+6{{meta.siteName}}+6EBSCO+6

The case centered on Lloyd Gaines, an African American who was denied admission to the University of Missouri’s law school solely because of his race. At the time, Missouri did not provide a law school for Black students within the state but offered to pay for their tuition at out-of-state institutions.?Justia

The Supreme Court ruled that this practice violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court held that states providing legal education must offer it to all qualified applicants within their borders, regardless of race. If a state chooses to operate a law school, it cannot exclude students based on race, nor can it remedy such exclusion by funding education elsewhere. ?

This landmark decision challenged the “separate but equal” doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, setting a precedent that would later influence the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. ?

The Gaines case highlighted the inherent inequalities in segregated educational systems and underscored the constitutional obligation of states to provide equal educational opportunities to all citizens within their jurisdiction.