Why did the Supreme Court decide in 1938 that Lloyd Gaines an African American must be admitted to the universityofmissouri law school?

In 1938, the Supreme Court ruled that Lloyd Gaines, an African American, must be admitted to the University of Missouri Law School because the state failed to provide a separate and equal law school for black students, violating the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson. The Court emphasized that the absence of an adequate alternative for Gaines denied him equal protection under the law. This decision marked a significant step in challenging racial segregation in education, laying the groundwork for future civil rights advancements.