In this chapter, I will discuss some of the most important affirmative action court cases. along with each case, a summary will be provided of whether each case helped or hurt African American efforts toward economic, social, and economic equality. The Bakke Case Allan Bakke had been an honor student in college and, later, a space-agency engineer before he decided, at age 32, to become a medical doctor. He applied twice for entry to the medical school at the University of California at Davis; the school denied his application both times. Bakke later learned that his college grades and aptitude test scores were higher than those of others who had nevertheless gained admission. The reason for his rejection, Bakke concluded, was that he was white, while some of the successful applicants were not. The medical schools admissions procedures included a quota system for applicants who were members of "minority groups": Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians. A specified number of spots in every entering class were reserved for such applicants; the school admitted some members of the minority groups even though their grades and test scores were lower than the cutoff applicable to non-minorities. Bakke sued the University of California, claiming violation of his rights under both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment to the US Constitution. By the time Bakke's case reached the US Supreme Court, nearly 60 organizations had submitted amicus curiae, or "friend of the court" briefs, court pleadings filed not by the parties to the lawsuit, but by various groups interested in its result. Ultimately, five members of the nine-justice Court found the medical school's quota system unlawful. While a majority of the Court agreed upon such a judgment in Bakke's case, however, no majority could agree upon an opinion (a statement by the Court expounding on the law and detailing reasons ...
