De Funis v. Odegaard

416 U.S. 312 (1974)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

DeFunis (P) applied for admission to law school at the University Of Washington (D), a state-owned institution. There were 1,600 applicants for 150 places, and P was eventually notified that he was not accepted. P then sued under racial discrimination. The trial court agreed with P and granted his relief; that he be admitted to the first year class entering on September 1971. On appeal, the Washington Supreme Court reversed the judgment and P was in his second year of law school. P then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari and Justice Douglas stayed the judgment of the Washington Supreme Court pending final disposition of the case by the Supreme Court. P was in the first term of his third year when the case was considered for certiorari, and the parties were requested to brief the case for mootness. When the case was scheduled for argument, P was registered for his final semester of law school. The Court addressed the issue of mootness.