Trial #2 Reaction

Today, the court was filled with my peers defending the side of the Board of Regents and the side of Bakke in the case of Board of Regents v. Bakke. The case is about the University of California's medical school setting a limit of only admitting ten African American students. In this case, Mr. Bakke was one of the most qualified applicants, however he was not accepted because of his skin color. This is a 14th Amendment case discussing the Equal Protection Clause. 

First, the side of the Board of Regents spoke and made their arguments. They wanted the jury to look at this case as a whole regarding race rather than specifically about Mr. Bakke, noting that race is only one factor in someone getting accepted into a university. Additionally, they argued that their approach to selecting students aligns with the Equal Protection Clause and passes the strict scrutiny test put in place by the Supreme Court. They also discussed how other universities currently have affirmative action policies, such as Clemson. 

Then, Mr. Bakke's side went to the stand. They made various good points, including that Mr. Bakke was an excellent student. He had scored outstandingly high on his medical exams and maintained a 3.5 GPA. Pointing out that race shouldn't be a determining factor in getting into medical school. Instead, they should look at the facts about the student's educational standing. Furthermore, the lawyers for Bakke said that excluding one group does not empower another, since the opposing argument claimed that since there are historically black universities African Americans were not being "left out" of the opportunity to an education. The economic argument was also brought up, stating that allowing black individuals into medical school would increase the number of people in the workforce, ultimately leading to economic growth. 

In the end, the Judge decided to rule in favor of creating a new policy, saying that someone's race would just be one part of being admitted into a university. This decision wasn't a win for either party but instead a compromise between both sides.