Gaines v. Canada was a landmark civil rights case in the United States that was decided in 1938. Lloyd Gaines, a Black man, applied for admission to the University of Missouri's law school, which was a publicly funded institution. The university denied his application solely on the basis of his race, as Missouri did not have a law school for Black students at the time.

Gaines filed a lawsuit against the registrar of the University of Missouri, S.W. Canada, arguing that the denial of his admission violated his rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case eventually made its way to the United States Supreme Court.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gaines, stating that Missouri must either admit him to its law school or establish a separate, equal facility for Black students. This decision was a significant victory for the civil rights movement, as it affirmed the principle of equality in education and set a precedent for challenging segregation in public institutions.

While the state of Missouri did not comply with the Supreme Court's ruling and did not admit Gaines to its law school, the case laid the foundation for future legal challenges to racial segregation in education and helped pave the way for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.