Summary and key notes on the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265 (1978)

Facts: Allan Bakke, a thirty-five-year-old white man, had twice applied for admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis. He was rejected both times. The school reserved sixteen places in each entering class of one hundred for "qualified" minorities, as part of the university's affirmative action program, in an effort to redress longstanding, unfair minority exclusions from the medical profession. Bakke's qualifications (college GPA and test scores) greatly exceeded those of any of the minority students admitted in the two years Bakke's applications were rejected. When the respondent learned that there was space left, however reserved for those in the special admissions program, Bakke contended that he was excluded from admission solely on the basis of race.

Issue: Whether or not the special admissions program involved racial classification as a determinative factor in the admission and exclusion process, a violation of the 14th Amendment, specifically article one (the Equal Protection Clause), and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

English: Representative John A. Bingham of Ohio, p...

The Court that decided Plessy

[Portrait of Eddie Davis and Sherry Britton, Leon ...

The University of California Medical School at Davis had setup a quota of minority students to fill, setting aside 16 % of its entrance applications for disadvantage minorities. However, within four years in which the program was running no disadvantage white were admitted under the special program. Bakke, applied twice and was rejected, however was never put on the waiting list despite his exceptional qualifications.

Case Precedent: The state court found that the special program operated as a racial quota, because minority applicants in that program were rated only against one another, and 16 places in the class of 100 were reserved for them. Declaring that petitioner could not take race into account in making admissions decisions, the program was held to violate the Federal and State...