Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla.

Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla.
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued January 7–8, 1948 Decided January 12, 1948
Full case name	Sipuel v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma, et al.
Citations	332 U.S. 631 (more) 305 U.S. 337; 68 S. Ct. 299;92 L. Ed. 247; 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2645
Prior history	Judgment for the State, District Court of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 199 Okla. 36; affirmed, (Supreme Court of Oklahoma 1946) 180 P.2d 135;
Holding
Colleges can not deny admittance based on race.
Court membership
Case opinions
Per curiam.
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Sipuel v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla., 332 U.S. 631 (1948) (per curiam) is a United States Supreme Court case involving racial segregation toward African Americans by the University of Oklahoma's and the application of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Ada Lois Sipuel (February 8, 1924 – October 18, 1995), born in Chickasha, Oklahoma was the daughter of a minister. Her brother planned to challenge segregationist policies of the University of Oklahoma, but went to Howard University Law School (in Washington, D.C.) in order not to delay his career further by protracted litigation.

Ada Sipuel was willing to delay her legal career in order to challenge segregation. On January 14, 1946, she applied at the University of Oklahoma (at the time, an all-white law school), the only taxpayer funded law school in the State of Oklahoma at the time, and was denied because of race ("color").

She then petitioned District Court of Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Her writ of mandamus was refused. The Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower district court (in 180 P.2d 135), the petitioners then appealed to the United States Supreme Court.

Two years later, in 1948, the United States Supreme Court heard the petition on January 7 and 8th, that stated: “petitioner is entitled to secure legal education afforded by a state institution.” They continued that: “The State must provide it for her in conformity with the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and provide it as soon as it does for applicants of any other group.” Citing the 1938 case Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, 305 U.S. 337 (1938), a case in which "Lloyd Gaines, a negro, was refused admission to the School of Law of the University of Missouri".