Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

UC Davis Medical School (defendant) reserved 16 of 100 seats in each entering class exclusively for minority applicants under a special admissions program administered by a separate committee. Allan Bakke (plaintiff), a white applicant rejected in 1973 and 1974, sued in California state court, arguing the program violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause, noting that admitted special-program applicants had lower grades and test scores than his. The California Supreme Court found the program unconstitutional and ordered Bakke admitted; the medical school sought U.S. Supreme Court review.