In the 1970s, strict racial quotas in the context of affirmative action and employment practices were often declared unconstitutional on the grounds that they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Supreme Court's decisions during this time highlighted that while the government could take race into account to promote diversity and rectify past discrimination, strict quotas were viewed as discriminatory against individuals outside of the targeted group. This was particularly noted in cases like Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), where the Court ruled that the medical school's use of a rigid quota system for minority applicants was unconstitutional.
The ruling emphasized that such quotas amounted to reverse discrimination and did not comply with the principle of equal protection under the law, as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court argued that individuals should not be discriminated against based on race, even in efforts to promote affirmative action.