Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Common card · No. 345635

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that involved a dispute over whether preferential treatment for minorities could reduce educational opportunities for whites without violating the Constitution. It upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy. However, the court ruled that specific racial quotas, such as the 16 out of 100 seats set aside for minority students by the UC Davis School of Medicine, were impermissible. Although in Brown v. Board of Education the Supreme Court had outlawed segregation in schools and had ordered school districts to take steps to ensure integration, the question of the legality of voluntary affirmative action programs initiated by universities remained unresolved. Proponents deemed such programs necessary to make up for past discrimination, while opponents believed they violated the Equal Protection Clause of...

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