Bakke decision

Cultural  

1. An important ruling on affirmative action given by the Supreme Court in 1978. Allan Bakke, a white man, was denied admission to a medical school that had admitted black candidates with weaker academic credentials. Bakke contended that he was a victim of racial discrimination. The Court ruled that Bakke had been illegally denied admission to the medical school, but also that medical schools were entitled to consider race as a factor in admissions. The Court thus upheld the general principle of affirmative action.

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Example Sentences

Nixon appointee Lewis F. Powell Jr. did so in the 1978 Bakke decision.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2025

Nearly half a century ago in the landmark Bakke decision of 1978, Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. had nodded approvingly at Harvard's admissions system, holding it up as a model.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2022

Bollinger in 2003, O’Connor took note of the quarter-century that had passed since the Bakke decision.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2021

In 1978, the Bakke decision introduced the notion of “diversity” as a competing rationale for affirmative action to “equity.”

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2016

Some believe the Bakke decision will make it easier for blacks and whites to work together on affirmative action.

From Time Magazine Archive