Case Summary
**Case Summary: Bakke v. Kane, Docket Number 7853843**
**Court:** Supreme Court of the United States
**Argument Date:** 1977
**Decided Date:** 1978
**Citation:** 438 U.S. 265 (1978)
**Background:**
The case of Bakke v. Kane involved Allan Bakke, a white male applicant who was denied admission to the University of California, Davis, Medical School. Bakke contested that he was denied admission based on his race since the school had a special admission program for minority applicants to address past discrimination. This program reserved a certain number of seats for minority students, which he argued effectively discriminated against him based on his race.
Bakke’s application was considered under a separate admissions track designed for disadvantaged minorities, which he did not qualify for. After being rejected, Bakke filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Davis, claiming that the admissions program violated the California Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
**Legal Issues:**
1. Whether the medical school's special admissions program, which set aside a specific number of seats for disadvantaged minorities, constituted a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
2. Whether the University of California's affirmative action policy was permissible under federal law.
**Supreme Court Decision:**
The Supreme Court's decision in Bakke v. Kane resulted in a landmark ruling. The Court's judgment was split, with a combination of opinions, ultimately ruling that:
1. The Court affirmed that race could be one of several factors considered in admissions processes. However, the rigid quota system that was employed in the medical school's admissions process was struck down as unconstitutional.
2. The Court emphasized the importance of diversity in higher education and acknowledged that institutions could take steps to remedy past discrimination but could not do so via specific racial quotas.
3. Bakke was ordered to be admitted to the medical school since the rigid quota system meant he had been unfairly denied admission.
**Outcome:**
Allan Bakke was admitted to the University of California, Davis, Medical School. The decision set a precedent for how educational institutions may consider race in admissions and highlighted the balance between affirmative action and equality under the law.
**Significance:**
The Bakke case has had a lasting impact on the discussion of affirmative action in the United States, influencing future cases and policies regarding race-based admissions and the broader interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause in relation to education.