Final answer:
The three important court cases concerning affirmative action are Gratz v. Bollinger, Grutter v. Bollinger, and Bakke v. California. These cases dealt with the constitutionality of affirmative action in college admissions and the use of race as a factor in admissions decisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gratz v. Bollinger: In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the University of Michigan's undergraduate admissions process, which awarded points to applicants based on race, was unconstitutional. The court found that the process amounted to a quota system and violated the Equal Protection Clause.
Grutter v. Bollinger: This case involved the University of Michigan Law School's use of race as a factor in its admissions process. The court ruled that the school's consideration of race as one of many factors, along with an individualized review of each applicant, was constitutional and served a compelling government interest in promoting diversity.
Bakke v. California: In this landmark case, the Supreme Court held that racial quotas in college admissions were unconstitutional. The court ruled that while race could be taken into account as a factor in admissions decisions, strict quotas based solely on race were not permissible.