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Bakke To The Wall: The Crisis Of Bakkean Diversity, Gabriel J. Chin

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In the years since the United States Supreme Court's affirmative action holding in Board of Regents v. Bakke, many educational institutions have struggled to apply Bakke's doctrine to their admissions policymaking. Professor Chin asserts that Bakke is incoherent because it does not explain whether the diversity it tries to foster is cultural or racial. Furthermore, he argues that neither a racial nor a cultural basis works under the Bakke scheme, leading to the difficulties schools confront in framing an affirmative action program.

Focusing on law school admissions policies, Professor Chin argues that because of Bakke's weakness as law, it is …