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Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke (1978) Affirmative Action, Equal Protection The Cases
Overview"Race or ethnic background may be deemed a ‘plus’ in a particular applicant’s file, yet it does not insulate the individual from comparison with all other candidates for the available seats." Justice Powell, speaking for the Court This case explores the legal concept of equal protection. In the early 1970s, the University of California Davis School of Medicine devised a dual admissions program to increase representation of racial minorities and “disadvantaged” students. Allan Bakke, a White person, applied to and was rejected from the regular admissions program. Applicants of color with lower grade point averages and test scores were admitted under the specialty admissions program. Bakke filed suit, alleging that the dual admissions system violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and excluded him on the basis of race. The Supreme Court found for Bakke against the rigid use of racial quotas, but also established that race was a permissible criterion among several others. For StudentsThis section is for students. Use the links below to download classroom-ready .PDFs of case resources and activities.About the Case Full Case SummariesA thorough summary of case facts, issues, relevant constitutional provisions/statutes/precedents, arguments for each side, decision, and case impact.
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Landmark Cases GlossaryThe LandmarkCases.org glossary compiles all of the important vocab terms from case materials. It is provided as a view-only Google Sheet. What happened in the Bakke case?Bakke (1978), the Supreme Court ruled that a university's use of racial "quotas" in its admissions process was unconstitutional, but a school's use of "affirmative action" to accept more minority applicants was constitutional in some circumstances.
Who won the University of California Bakke case?No and yes. There was no single majority opinion. Four of the justices contended that any racial quota system supported by government violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., agreed, casting the deciding vote ordering the medical school to admit Bakke.
What happened in the case of Regents of the University of California v Bakke quizlet?In Regents of University of California v. Bakke , the Supreme Court ruled that a university's use of racial quotas in its admissions process was unlawful, but a school's use of "affirmative action" to accept more outvoted candidates was constitutional in some circumstances.
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