Last week, the federal Department of Justice, led by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon, joined a lawsuit against UCLA medical school accusing it of admitting students on the basis of race, not academic qualifications. 

As students and parents should know, race-based admissions violate California law.

Back in 1978, UC Davis medical school rejected highly qualified student Allan Bakke, a person of pallor, on the basis of race. Bakke sued and won his case, but California continued to admit students on the basis of race and ethnicity. 

During the 1990s, the people pushed back. 

The California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), known as Proposition 209, appeared on the November 1996 ballot. It was the project of California State University, Hayward (now Cal State East Bay) professors Glynn Custred and Thomas Wood, backed by University of California regent Ward Connerly.

CCRI ended racial and ethnic preferences in state education, employment, and contracting. California........

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