(1978) Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that ruled unconstitutional the use of fixed quotas for minority applicants at professional schools.
At issue was a state medical school's affirmative action program that, because it required a certain number of minority admissions, twice denied entrance to an otherwise qualified white candidate (Allan Bakke). Though the court outlawed quota programs, on the grounds that they violated the equal-protection clause of the Constitution of the United States , it allowed colleges to use race as a factor in making college admissions decisions.