What constitutional issue did the Bakke case center on?

• A. What free speech concerns were raised by campus policy.
• B. Whether the right to education is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
• C. Whether such a program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• D. Whether the First Amendment applies to admissions.

Answer: (C)

At the heart of Bakke is the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and how it applies to affirmative action in public university admissions. The Supreme Court evaluated a university medical school’s policy that set aside a fixed number of seats for minority applicants. That fixed quota treated applicants differently solely because of race, and the Court held this violated equal protection. The decision also allowed race to be considered as one factor in a broader, holistic review to promote diversity, but rejected the use of a rigid quota. So the key constitutional issue is whether such a program infringes the Equal Protection Clause. The other options don’t address the central question of how race-based admissions policies relate to equal protection.