Bakke vs. The Board of Regents

In 1978, a Court case would be tried that would have a serious impact on integration and affirmative action. Allen Bakke, a white man, had applied to the U.C. Davis Medical School several times, each time being denied. The U.C.D. Medical School had established a system of racial quotas for acceptance that reserved a portion of admittance for minorities.16 out of 100 spots were to be saved for minority students in an effort to make reparations for historical abuse. Bakke claimed that this system of racial quotas was unconstitutional as it violated his 14th amendment rights. The court would eventually side with Bakke, granting him forced admittance. The Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas were illegal; however, they defended affirmative action, stating that race could be used as a factor to achieve racial diversity.