New Orleans v. Gaines was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of racial discrimination in the United States. The case involved a black man, Thomas Gaines, who was denied admission to the University of Louisiana Law School because of his race. Gaines sued the state of Louisiana, arguing that the state's refusal to admit him to the law school violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gaines, holding that the state of Louisiana had violated the Equal Protection Clause by denying Gaines admission to the law school. The Court held that the state had to provide Gaines with an equal opportunity to pursue a legal education, either by admitting him to the law school or by providing him with an alternative means of obtaining a legal education. This ruling was a major victory for civil rights advocates, as it established the principle that states could not deny individuals access to educational opportunities based on their race.

In the case of New Orleans v. Gaines, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state law that prohibited African Americans from attending white schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The majority opinion held that it did not violate this clause because states had wide discretion in regulating their own educational systems and could choose to provide separate but equal facilities for different races. However, Justice Field dissented on behalf of himself and two other justices, arguing that while states may have some authority over education policy, they cannot deny any person access to an institution based solely on race or color without violating the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under law. He further argued that if such laws were allowed to stand then all persons would be subject to discrimination by those with power who might wish them harm simply due to their race or color.