John H. Wrighten attended South Carolina State College. Prior to his graduation in 1946, Wrighten applied to the all-white University of South Carolina, seeking admission to the state’s only available law school. Wrighten had the educational qualifications and good character needed to qualify, but his application was quickly denied because of his race. He contacted NAACP legal council member Harold Boulware to file a lawsuit on his behalf. Wrighten’s lawyers wanted him to have immediate admission to the University of South Carolina Law School since there were no other such programs in the state. The Judge rejected this request, and instead gave the Board of Trustees three options. They could admit Wrighten immediately, build a new law school at South Carolina State College, or close the University of South Carolina Law School. Two months later, South Carolina State College opened a new law school with only a dean and three faculty members. There was no building and no library. Wrighten refused to attend. In 1948, the general assembly appropriated $200,000 for a building and $30,000 for a library, which would equal over two million dollars today. When confronted with the high costs of building an entirely new school, the Dean of South Carolina State explained, “Gentlemen, well I’ll tell you, the price of prejudice is very high.”