Regents of the University of
California v. Bakke
By: Miss Wilkinson
So what’s the deal?
-
-
-
-
In the 1970s, UC Davis began a new
dual-admissions program. For regular
admission, students who fell under a 2.5
GPA were automatically rejected.
In an attempt to have more minority
representation at the school, UC created a
special admissions committee which looked
at the applications of minorities or the
economically/educationally disadvantaged.
The applications in this committee did not
have to meet the 2.5 GPA requirement and
were not compared to those who applied
regular admission.
16 out of 100 spaces in the program were set
aside for minorities.
Who is Bakke?
- Allan Bakke was a 35
year-old white man who
applied to UC Davis
Medical School twice and
had been rejected both
times.
- In both years he applied,
students were admitted
with lower GPAs, MCAT
scores and benchmark
scores.
How Would You Decide?
Bakke’s Argument
- After Bakke was rejected a second
time, he filed a lawsuit in Yolo
County, California.
- He wanted UC Davis to admit him
to the school.
- He also claimed that the special
admissions policy violated the
Equal Protection Clause of the
14th Amendment and Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964
because it excluded him on the
basis of race.
UC Davis’ Argument
- UC Davis argued their special
admissions policy helped counter the
effects of discrimination in society.
The policy also meant there would be
more doctors who work in
underserved communities.
- The third part of their argument was
that it was educationally beneficial to
everyone in the program to have
students who were racially and
ethnically diverse.
California Court System
-
-
-
Yolo County court decided that the special
admissions policy did violate both the state
and federal constitution and Title VI. They
agreed with Bakke in that admission should
not be based on race.
They did not agree with Bakke that he
should be admitted to UC Davis because he
could not prove that he would have been
admitted over others.
The Regents of the University of California
appealed the case to the Supreme Court of
the United States.
Ideas/Rights Being Argued
- Did the University of California violate the
Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause,
and the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
- Should colleges and universities be allowed to use
special policies to meet certain racial quotas?
Supreme Court’s Decision
- Case was argued on October 12, 1977 and the opinion was announced on
June 26, 1978
- Decided by a 5-4 Vote
- Yes: Special admission based on racial quotas was unconstitutional
and violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This applied to all
college/universities who received federal funding. It was decided that
Bakke must also be admitted to the program.
- No: Although universities cannot base admission solely on race, race
can be a “plus factor” in admission. Essentially, it is possible to
consider an applicant’s race during the admission process.
Significance
- This case created what is
known as affirmative action.
Colleges and universities could
now use race as a factor in
college admission.
- Other Affirmative Action cases:
- Fisher v. Texas
- Gratz v. Bollinger
- Grutter v. Bollinger
Recap Quiz
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
In which era did this case take place?
What was Bakke’s argument?
What was UC Davis’ argument?
How did the justices decide?
What did this case create for the United States?
Works Cited
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1979/76-811
http://landmarkcases.org/en/Page/620/Summary_of_the_Decision
http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/affirmative-action-court-decisions.aspx