Question

The fatal flaw in [the university’s] preferential program is its disregard of individual rights as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. . . . Such rights are not absolute. But when a State’s distribution of benefits or [placing] of burdens hinges on ancestry or the color of a person’s skin, that individual is entitled to a demonstration that the challenged classification is necessary to promote [an important] state interest. [The university] has failed to carry this burden.

–Justice Lewis Powell
Opinion of the Court
Regents v. Bakke

Which statement best summarizes this passage?

Fourteenth Amendment rights can never be denied.
The university failed to justify the denial of Fourteenth Amendment rights.
It is acceptable to discriminate on the basis of ancestry.
The university has no interest in protecting Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Answer 1

The university failed to justify the denial of Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Explanation: The passage says the school's race-based classification must be shown necessary for an important state interest, and the university did not meet that burden.