Bakke (Allan) Vs. Regents of the University of California collection, 1976-1980
Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of the University of California collection
- Dates:
- 1976-1980
- Abstract:
- Materials related to the United States Supreme Court decision in Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of the University of California.
- Extent:
- 0.5 Linear Feet (1 document box)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of the University of California collection, CEMA 113. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains materials related to both the opinion held by the Supreme Court and the debate within the University of California (UC) over the legitimacy of Bakke's complaint and/or legal standing of the University. There was no definitive consensus among scholars as to the strength of weaknesses of the University's case, yet the arguments presented during the amicus filings covered a wide spectrum of concepts. Despite the controversial nature of these issues and the continuing legal debate of affirmative action programs in the United States, most, if not all, of the fundamental legal arguments for and against affirmative action were explored in Bakke vs. UC decisions.
The collection contains correspondences between UC scholars and representatives and between lawyers from the Mexican American Legal Defence and Education Fund (MALDEF) and organizations within the UC, all voicing their opinions on the case including a series of mail grams imploring the UC not to appeal the case based on the weakness of its merits.
Description adapted from: Selmi, Michael. The life of Bakke: An affirmative action retrospective. The Georgetown Law Journal 87 no. 4, 981-1022 (2009).
- Biographical / historical:
-
After several unsuccessful applications to the University of California's medical school at Davis, Allan Bakke applied to the school in 1974 receiving a 549 out of 600 on his application. Under a special program, UC Davis held 16 of its 100 available places in each class through a process administered by what was called The Special Task Force for Minority and Disadvantaged Students. According to Allan Baake, these students competed amongst themselves and were not held to the same grade point averages. Shortly thereafter, Bakke filed suit, challenging that the University's admissions policy was unconstitutional on the grounds that the school's consideration of race denied him his right to equal protection of the law. Bakke was able to show that his grades and test scores were higher than those admitted through the special admissions program, though nearly fifty other white candidates who had been denied had superior numerical indicators. Reinforcing, yet complicating Bakke's case, a few white students with scores lower than Bakke's had been admitted to the class.
The University of California conceded that Bakke would have been admitted absent the special admissions program and the consideration of race. It was the University's intention through this plea, to obtain a definitive ruling on the constitutionality of its admissions program. The case never went to trial but was instead decided in Bakke's favor by a trial judge on the facts of the case alone. This did not, however, decide the fate of special admissions programs for minorities, as the subsequent and numerous appeals helped to lay out the legal foundations of special admissions programs and their relationship to what were then termed "regular admissions" programs.
Description adapted from: Selmi, Michael. The life of Bakke: An affirmative action retrospective. The Georgetown Law Journal 87 no. 4, 981-1022 (2009).
- Acquisition information:
- This collection was acquired by the Colección Tloque Nahuaque and was transferred to CEMA in 1989. Previous provenance unknown.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Affirmative action programs
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-04-07 16:42:51 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and may be retained by the creator and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@library.ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or their assignees for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of the University of California collection, CEMA 113. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Location of this collection:
-
UC Santa Barbara LibrarySanta Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-3062