University of California Regents v. Bakke

University of California Regents v. Bakke (1978) was a Supreme Court case addressing whether racial quotas in university admissions were constitutional. Allan Bakke, a white applicant, was denied admission to UC Davis Medical School, which reserved spots for minorities as part of affirmative action. The Court ruled that using strict racial quotas was unconstitutional but upheld that race could be one factor among many in admissions decisions. This decision established that affirmative action was permissible if it didn't involve rigid quotas, emphasizing the importance of individual consideration and diversity without using fixed numerical goals.