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

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

But the Supreme Court’s 1978 Bakke decision , the first concerning higher education admissions, authorized schools to consider race as a small “plus” factor in admissions to achieve “diversity.”

From Washington Post

The issue of affirmative action has closely split the justices for decades, going back to the Bakke decision of 1978.

From Los Angeles Times

In the Bakke decision, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell cited the Harvard Plan as an exemplary model to encourage diversity without making race the sole factor in college admissions.

From Washington Post

Lawyers for Abigail Fisher, the woman who challenged the University of Texas policy, do not question the Bakke decision or a major 2003 ruling in a University of Michigan case that affirmed it.

From Reuters