Trial 4 reax

 The case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke was heard in court today. Lawyers for both sides presented their cases to the judges. Allan Bakke was a smart man who tried twice to get into the medical school at the University of California but was turned down both times. Because Bakke had a higher GPA than the sixteen blacks who got into the school, he sued because he was turned down.  First, the University of California's side. They used their Diversity Program. The University of California started this program to give minorities chances at the university that have been denied to them in the past because of our country's history of racism. Lawyers for the University of California said that a diverse student group should be in the government's interest because it would lead to progress in education, as shown by the Sickle Cell Disease programs of 1972. African Americans know things that have been kept secret for years that we can use to make the world a better place. The university said that these sixteen seats for African Americans are worth a lot more than one spot for a white person. The lawyers for the school ended their case by saying that America can't have just one way of running its job and education systems and must make sure that everyone has the same chances.

Now, Allan Bakke's lawyers used the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to make their case. This clause says that everyone, no matter what race they are, has the right to equal opportunities. There is a "tragic history of injustice" in our country, but Bakke's lawyers said that making more victims was not the answer to that problem. His lawyers said that Bakke was discriminated against because he was turned down because of the color of his skin. Because of a past of bias, minorities with less knowledge and intelligence are given jobs while the more qualified applicant is turned down for no reason he or she had anything to do with. One last point made in support of Allan Bakke was that his denial ignored the meaning of economic efficiency. If the University of California lets less qualified people into this great chance, they might not do as well as Mr. Bakke would have if he had been given the chance. This means that more money is spent to help these applicants in places where Mr. Bakke may not have needed help, wasting money. The court finally made up its mind after hearing both parts of the story. While this ruling said that the university's diversity program was legal, it also said that it needed to be changed. People from minority groups who can't get as much schooling and opportunities as white people should not be punished for something they can't change. But the stronger applicants shouldn't be punished because the university is trying to be diverse by choosing to reject the better applicants and accept the weaker ones. So, the case ends with a split decision that goes in favor of both the University of California and Mr. Bakke. This means that the university's application choice was changed.