The case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) formed part of constitutional law, as it was a Supreme Court ruling. The case determined that it was unlawful, by way of being unconstitutional, for a university to use racial quotas in their admissions process. The case was taken by a white applicant who was twice denied the right to attend the university due to quotas in place that gave seats to ethnic minorities each year.
The court ruling meant that the use of affirmative action in the application process could at times be reasonable, but it could not extend to establishing actual quotas for ethnic applicants because it meant that the best applicants may not be chosen.