Which landmark case addressed affirmative action in education?

The landmark case that specifically addressed affirmative action in education is Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. This 1978 Supreme Court decision focused on the use of racial quotas in university admissions. The case arose when Allan Bakke, a white applicant, challenged the admissions policy of the University of California, Davis, which reserved a certain percentage of seats for minority candidates. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that while affirmative action programs were permissible, strict quotas based on race were unconstitutional. This case set significant precedent for how educational institutions could consider race and ethnicity in their admissions processes, thereby shaping affirmative action policies across the United States.