Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

US Supreme Court decision of 1978 that ruled against the policy of ‘reverse discrimination’ in publicly funded schools. The case was a challenge to an affirmative action programme designed to remedy racial inequality in the University of California Medical School, Davis.

Allan Bakke, a white applicant denied admission to the school, sued the university on grounds of racial discrimination. He argued that his rejection was the result of a quota policy that accepted minority applicants at lower standards than those set for non-minorities. In a closely divided decision, the court sustained Bakke's complaint, ruling that any institution, regardless of motive, that discriminated solely because of race was in violation of the Civil Rights Act 1964.