The Bakke Vs. The Regents Of University Of California

The Bakke Vs. The Regents of University of California case is one of the most well known supreme court cases in America dealing with the topic of affirmative action. Stated by Eastland, â€Å"affirmative action policies are those in which an institution or organization actively engages in efforts to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups in American society† (10). In 1978, the plaintiff Bakke filed a suit against the University of California, claiming that his rejection from the school was a result of racial discrimination and that it violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the equal protection clause of the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment, and the California Constitution (Posner 171). The U.S Supreme court ruled that affirmative action was constitutional, but not the use of racial quotas. The significance of this case is that it dealt directly with two major theories prevalent to minorities and race: Their assimilation into the university setting us ing affirmative action, and also the systemic racism that these groups faced as well. More specifically however, the Bakke Vs. the Regents of University of California case can be explained by systemic racism more so than assimilation, because systemic racism was and still is in effect in these educational institutions. Even with the inclusion of programs such as affirmative action that are supposed to combat systemic racism and simplify assimilation, American institutions were built upon ideological processes thatShow MoreRelatedCivil Liberties And Civil Rights1329 Words   |  6 Pagesfriendly as in the United States. Allen Bakke personally experienced a Civil Rights violation. Bakke applied to enroll in the University of California Medical School twice and was rejected because of his race. The 1978 case, Regents v. Bakke, claimed that the University discriminated against him because he was a thirty-five-year-old white male. The case revealed that the University had their own policies to ensure a certain number of minorities were accepted. Bakke had been rejected even though his GPARead MoreWhat is Affirmitive Action?934 Words   |  4 Pagesnon-discrimination. Affirmative action is intended to promote the opportunities of defined minority groups within a society to give them equal access to that of the privileged majority population. This has become a problem when it comes to applying for jobs, a university, and any other entity. The term was first used in the United States in the Executive Order 10925 and was signed by President Kennedy in the early 1960’s. President Johnson signed the E xecutive Order 11246 in 1965 which required government employersRead MoreAffirmative Action and Higher Education Admissions Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesSephardic Jew, posed the first legal challenge to affirmative action policies in university admissions. Though the case proved to be moot after being heard from the courts, as Washington Law School had already begun to rectify the affirmative action allegations prior to a decision being made – Defunis claimed that he had been passed over for admission by other unqualified minorities (Kaplin Lee, 2014). Though this university had begun its reconstruction of the affirmative action inclusion of the admissionRead MoreA Closer Look At The Fourteenth Amendment s Equal Protection Clause2421 Words   |  10 Pagesequal protection clause. Movements like Black Lives Matter have brought forth some of these issues happening today. The supreme court has made interpretations of the 14th amendment in cases like Plessy vs Ferguson, Br own vs the Board of Education, and even in when overturning the case Dred Scott vs Sanford. To better understand the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause we have to take a closer look at the interpretations made by the supreme court to see how it has shaped the United States. TheRead MoreAffirmative Action And The Civil Rights Movement Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pagesmeans to promote minority candidates. In the case of Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke, the plaintiff Alan Bakke tries to be admitted into the University of California at Davis Medical School. Despite being a profoundly adequate NASA engineer is refused admittance. Bakke was denied since the schools policy to accommodate 16 spots out of 100 for minority candidates (McBride, 2007). In acknowledgment to the objection presented by Bakke, the institution was bound to allow his applicationRead MoreAffirmative Action and Hosea Martin Essay688 Words   |  3 Pagesjust about everybody...got special consideration for one reason or another(220). He also makes reference to the right schools. If the right school means picking a white-Anglo Harvard graduate with a Ph. D. over an African- American University of Florida graduate holding the same degree then the distinction between the two candidates is obvious. People who want to succeed at the highest levels in our society work hard their entire lives to get into the rightschools. This givesRead MoreAffirmative Action And The Civil Rights Movement1568 Words   |  7 Pagesmeans to promote minority candidates. In the case of Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke, the plaintiff Alan Bakke tries to be admitted into the University of California at Davis Medical School. Despite being a profoundly adequate NASA engineer is refused admittance. Bakke was denied since the schools policy to accommodate 16 spots out of 100 for minority candidates (McBride, 2007). In acknowledgment to the objection presented by Bakke, the institution was bound to allow his applicationRead MoreAffirmative Action And Its Effect On Society Essay1639 Words   |  7 Pages especially to ethnicities who historically felt injustice.The famous U.S landmark case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), where Allan Bakke, a white man, was twice rejected to University of California Medical Schoo l at Davis, ruled that racial quotas â€Å"violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment†, however race can serve a part as one admission criteria. Today California has banned a raced based affirmative action along with seven other states (Proposition 209Read MoreThe Issue Of Affirmative Action Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesespecially to those ethnicity who were historically wronged.The famous U.S landmark case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), in which Allan Bakke, a white man, was twice rejected to University of California Medical School at Davis, ruled that racial quotas â€Å"violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment†, however race can serve a part as one of an admission criteria. Today California has banned a raced based affirmative action along with seven other states (PropositionRead MoreIs Affirmative Action in Higher Education Outdated?783 Words   |  3 Pages1978, the Court ruling in Regents of Universi ty of California v. Bakke defined the concept of reverse discrimination by holding that slots for medical school admissions could not be set aside for minorities, because it could result in admitting less qualified candidates based on racial quotas. In 2003, in Gratz v. Bollinger, the Court defined the concept of individualized consideration when it declared that an undergraduate affirmative action policy at the University of Michigan was unconstitutional