What did Regents of the University of California v. Bakke decide about affirmative action?

• A. Quotas were unconstitutional; race could be considered as a factor under strict scrutiny.
• B. Quotas were constitutional; race could be considered as a factor under strict scrutiny.
• C. Quotas were unconstitutional; race could be considered only under rational basis.
• D. Race must be the sole determinant in admissions.

Answer: (A)

This question is about how the Supreme Court treated affirmative action in college admissions. Regents v. Bakke held that using fixed racial quotas is unconstitutional, but race can be considered as one factor among many in admissions as part of a narrowly tailored program to achieve diversity, under strict scrutiny. So the best answer states that quotas are unconstitutional, while race can be considered as a factor under strict scrutiny. The other options misstate the ruling: quotas were not upheld as constitutional, race was not allowed only under a rational-basis test, and race did not have to be the sole determinant in admissions.