Which case denied fixed quotas in college admissions but allowed consideration of race?

Which case denied fixed quotas in college admissions but allowed consideration of race?

• A. Grutter v. Bollinger
• B. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
• C. Loving v. Virginia
• D. Brown v. Board of Education

Answer: (B)

This question hinges on how the Court treats race in admissions: banning fixed quotas while allowing race to be a factor in a broader, holistic review. In the Bakke decision, the Court struck down the use of fixed racial quotas in admissions—the idea of reserving a specific number of seats for certain racial groups was deemed unconstitutional. Yet the Court also said that race could be one factor among many in evaluating applicants to promote diversity, as part of a holistic admissions process. That distinction between not using rigid quotas and still considering race as part of the overall evaluation is the key point. Later cases reinforced this approach by upholding race as a permissible factor aimed at diversity, again without setting quotas. The other two cases address entirely different issues—Loving v. Virginia involves interracial marriage, Brown v. Board of Education addresses school desegregation in general—so they don’t fit the description of rejecting fixed quotas while allowing race to be considered in admissions.

This question hinges on how the Court treats race in admissions: banning fixed quotas while allowing race to be a factor in a broader, holistic review.

In the Bakke decision, the Court struck down the use of fixed racial quotas in admissions—the idea of reserving a specific number of seats for certain racial groups was deemed unconstitutional. Yet the Court also said that race could be one factor among many in evaluating applicants to promote diversity, as part of a holistic admissions process. That distinction between not using rigid quotas and still considering race as part of the overall evaluation is the key point.

Later cases reinforced this approach by upholding race as a permissible factor aimed at diversity, again without setting quotas. The other two cases address entirely different issues—Loving v. Virginia involves interracial marriage, Brown v. Board of Education addresses school desegregation in general—so they don’t fit the description of rejecting fixed quotas while allowing race to be considered in admissions.