Bakke Decision Page

The End of an Era: Unpacking the Bakke Decision and What Comes Next

For decades, the standard for diversity in higher education was set by a single, fractured Supreme Court ruling: . It was the case that simultaneously saved and restricted affirmative action, creating a legal tightrope that universities walked for 45 years. bakke decision

However, the legal landscape has shifted dramatically. With the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in , the "essential architecture" established by Bakke has been largely dismantled. What was the Bakke Decision? The End of an Era: Unpacking the Bakke

The Supreme Court’s response was a rare "split the baby" decision: When the Supreme Court first ruled on affirmative action With the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in ,

The case began when Allan Bakke, a white applicant, was twice rejected from the UC Davis Medical School. The school had a "special admissions program" that reserved 16 out of 100 seats specifically for minority applicants. Bakke argued this violated the of the 14th Amendment.