Moot Court – Board of Regents v. Bakke

This case was a very important in shaping the world of higher education. This case allowed for affirmative action to be upheld and for race to be a factor in the admission process. The main problem with this case, though, was there was specific quotas such as 16/100 seats were set aside for minority students.

What made this case very interesting was Allan Bakke, a former Marine officer, was in his mid 30's when he applied to the University of California , Davis Medicine School. He was denied acceptance both times. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and Bakke was admitted into the Medical Program.

The arguments were strong on both sides of the court. Bakke had a 3.51 GPA and was a National Merit Scholar,  and when applied to the school he left with an interview score of 549/600 and 468/500. Bakke should have been admitted due to these scores with how many spots were left each year.

On California's side their argument was that they took all different types of minorities in their programs and didn't only focus on African Americans. In 1973, many of the Pre-Med students were in their 20's and not their 30's like Bakke. Many schools at this time also openly practiced age discrimination. This was very common at that time and was a factor of why Bakke wasn't accepted. The programs they had established were also used in considering economic consideration.

This case helped veterans get more jobs and education. This was also a backup for helping the cause of "diversity" of schools and letting race be a consideration.