What was the issue in the Supreme Court case University of California v Bakke?

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was a controversial case challenging the legal grounding of affirmative action programs in college admissions. A difficult decision for the Justices, the Court decided that affirmative action in college admissions was constitutional, but that racial quotas like those used by the University of California at the time, were not.

Allan Bakke, a white male in his mid-30s, sued the University of California after being denied admission to the medical school at the college's campus in the city of Davis. Once discovering the school had reserved seats for people of color, Bakke sued the university for “reverse discrimination.” The lower courts sided with Bakke and determined that the special admissions process was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and that racial quotas violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

After reaching the Supreme Court through a series of appeals, the Court determined that the university could use race to evaluate candidates, but could not admit students using a racial quota. In a split decision, the court ordered the school admit Bakke. Bakke lives in Minnesota and has never given an interview after the case was decided.

The Bakke decision wasn't the last time the Court decided cases regarding college admission policies. In Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, both decided in 2003, the Court again considered admissions practices, this time for the University of Michigan's undergraduate and law schools. In the former case, the Court ruled again that affirmative action policies were constitutional, while in the second case reaffirming the Court's assertion in Bakke that quota systems were unconstitutional.

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What was the issue in the Supreme Court case University of California v Bakke?

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Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke (1978)

Affirmative Action, Equal Protection

What was the issue in the Supreme Court case University of California v Bakke?

The Cases

  • Brown v. Board of Education
  • Dred Scott v. Sandford
  • Engel v. Vitale
  • Gibbons v. Ogden
  • Gideon v. Wainwright
  • Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
  • Korematsu v. United States
  • Mapp v. Ohio
  • Marbury v. Madison
  • McCulloch v. Maryland
  • Miranda v. Arizona
  • New Jersey v. T.L.O.
  • Obergefell v. Hodges
  • Plessy v. Ferguson
  • Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke
  • Roe v. Wade
  • Schenck v. United States
  • Texas v. Johnson
  • Tinker v. Des Moines
  • United States v. Nixon




"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.



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  • Classifying Arguments Activity
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After the Case

  • Applying Precedents Activity: Fisher v. University of Texas (2016)
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About the Case
  • Full Case Summaries: A summary of case facts, issues, relevant constitutional provisions/statutes/precedents, arguments for each side, decision, and impact. Available at a high school and middle school levels. 
  • Case Background: Background information at three reading levels.
  • Case Vocabulary: Important related vocabulary terms at two reading levels.
  • Diagram of How the Case Moved Through the Court System
  • Case summary graphic organizer
  • Decision: A summary of the decision and key excerpts from the opinion(s)

Learning Activities

The Case

  • Classifying Arguments Activity
  • Applying Precedents Activity
  • Understanding the Decision

After the Case

  • Applying Precedents: Fisher v. University of Texas (2016)
  • The Michigan Affirmative Action Cases
  • Cartoon Analysis
  • Mini-Moot Court Activity: Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2016) 
  • The 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause

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  • Applying Precedents
  • Classifying Arguments
  • Mini-Moot Courts
  • Political Cartoon Analysis

Landmark Cases Glossary

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What was the issue in the Supreme Court case University of California v Bakke quizlet?

In Regents of University of California v. 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.

What was the issue in Bakke v UC Regents?

Bakke's qualifications (college GPA and test scores) exceeded those of any of the minority students admitted in the two years Bakke's applications were rejected. Bakke contended, first in the California courts, then in the Supreme Court, that he was excluded from admission solely on the basis of race.

What did the Supreme Court rule in the Regents of the University of California v Bakke What impact did this case have on American politics?

The case was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. It upheld affirmative action, allowing race to be one of several factors in college admission policy.

What is the likely effect of the Court's ruling in the Bakke case?

According to the quote, what is the likely effect of the Court's ruling in the Bakke case? Colleges can consider race but cannot use strict racial quotas in admission practices.