What was the outcome of University of California v. Bakke case? Why was it a controversial decision?

Question

What was the outcome of University of California v. Bakke case? Why was it a controversial decision? Explain your answer?

Answer 1

UC v. Bakke: Affirmative Action

What was the outcome of University of California v. Bakke case? Why was it a controversial decision?

In the landmark case of University of California v. Bakke (1978), the United States Supreme Court upheld the use of affirmative action in college admissions, but also ruled that strict racial quotas were unconstitutional.

The case involved Allan Bakke, a white applicant who had been denied admission to the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in 1973, despite having higher grades and test scores than some minority candidates who were admitted under the school's affirmative action program.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the university's use of strict racial quotas violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits racial discrimination. However, the court also ruled that universities could consider race as one factor among many in the admissions process, in order to achieve diversity and remedy past discrimination.

The decision was controversial because it left many questions unresolved, such as how to define and measure diversity, and how much weight to give to race in the admissions process. Some critics argued that any use of race in college admissions was discriminatory and violated the principle of meritocracy. Others argued that affirmative action was necessary

Answer 2

Allan Bakke was a 32 year old engineer, Vietnam Veteran, served in the marine 4 year, with 7 months in Vietnam. He was white, applied twice to medical, rejected twice as the college had reserved 12 slots for minority admissions. He was rejected because he too old. He sued over racial discrimination.

he sued and won, SCOTUS ordered him admitted, but also ruled race could be a factor in admissions, for purposes of affirmative action, but only one factor. It ruled fixed quotas were unconstitutional.

Odds are the college also rejected him due to anti military and anti Vietnam war views, blaming the soldiers who served in the war. Rarely did any prestigious university accept any Vietnam War vets. Although that was not an issue in the legal case.

Bakke likely gained a strong interest in providing medical care after watching American soldiers die and get wounded in the war.

the issue is still current as Asians tend to get discriminated against in university admissions.