Journal #2Civil Rights and Civil LibertiesBenjamin PapePurpus POL_101_10029/23/2018Court CasesCivil RightsRegents of the University of California v.

BakkeCivil LibertyBlackburn v. State of AlabamaRegents of the University of California v. BakkeDate: Argued October 12, 1977-Decided June 28, 1978Civil Rights issue: Discrimination based on race.Regents of the University of California v. BakkeThe Medical School of the University of California at Davis had two ways a student could get admitted. The normal way and a special program to gain admittance. Allen Bakke was not eligible for the normal program of admittance because he was too old.

Bakke was too old because after college he was sent to the Vietnam War. Bakke had very high scores in the areas he needed them. Bakke applied and was rejected twice. He sued because of evidence his scores were much higher than the students admitted that were a minority. These students were admitted because of a strict quota the university had for admitting minorities. Bakke was white and was not allowed in because of the quota the school had to admit minorities.Regents of the University of California v. BakkeThe supreme court issued six opinions on this case.

In a 5-4 decision, Judges that were against said that the medical field did not have enough minorities and so they should be able to use race to achieve diversity. Ultimately the supreme court ruled that race could be used to promote diversity but a quota is unconstitutional.It is my opinion that race should not be used at all. If we want equality then the issue of race or sex or age should not be involved at all on any side of the fence. It would then be up to the individual to make themselves worthy of the position because of their accomplishments not the color of their skin or gender.Blackburn vs.

The State of AlabamaDate: Argued December 10, 1959.-Decided January 11, 1960.Civil liberty issue: Torture to obtain confessionBlackburn vs.

the State of AlabamaJesse Blackburn was tried in court in Colbert county Alabama. He was tried for a robbery 4 years after the crime when he was released from a mental hospital. The main piece of evidence was his confession in which the circuit court ruled admissible but the supreme court ruled was inadmissible because he was tortured to get him to sign it. He was tortured by the police by locking him in a small room and interrogated for hours until he signed the document prepared for him by a deputy.Courts opinion: “The abhorrence of society to the use of involuntary confessions . . .

also turns on the deep-rooted feeling that the police must obey the law while enforcing the law; that in the end life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves.” from official court documents.It is my opinion that the courts were perfectly correct in the case of Blackburn vs Alabama. They cite other involuntary confession cases and ruled because he was insane he couldn’t confess especially after the way they forced him to confess. Warren, E. ; Supreme Court Of The United States. (1959) U.S.

Reports: Blackburn v. Alabama, 361 U.S.

199. Periodical Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep361199/.Powell, L.

F. ; Supreme Court Of The United States. (1977) U.S. Reports: University of California Regents v. Bakke, 438 U.

S. 265. Periodical Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep438265/.