Facts
White
male whose application to state medical school was rejected brought action
challenging legality of the school's special admissions program under which 16
of the 100 positions in the class were reserved for “disadvantaged” minority
students.
School cross-claimed for declaratory judgment that its program was
legal.
The trial court declared the program illegal but refused to order the
school to admit the applicant.
The
California Supreme Court
affirmed the finding that the program was illegal and ordered the student
admitted and the school sought certiorari.
Holding
The
Supreme Court held that:
(1)
the special admissions program was illegal, but
(2)
race may be one of a number of factors considered by school in passing on
applications, and
(3)
since the school could not show that the white applicant would not have been admitted
even in the absence of the special admissions program, the applicant was
entitled to be admitted.
Affirmed
in part and reversed in part.
