POLSC quiz 5

what did the US believe

the admission male-only policy was a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment

What did Virginia believe

only admitting men allowed "unique forms of education" and that including women would require "drastic accommodations and alterations" to their training methods

what was the final ruling in US v Virginia

7-1 decision in US favor; the ruled that the policy was unconstitutional because it failed to show "exceedingly persuasive justification" and that it violated the 14th amendment equal-protection clause

what question was posed in US v Virginia

Does Virginia's creation of a women's-only academy, as a comparable program to a male-only academy, satisfy the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause?

background of US v Virginia

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) had a males only admission policy. The United States brought suit against Virginia and VMI alleging that the school's male-only admissions policy was unconstitutional insofar as it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. On appeal from a District Court ruling favoring VMI, the Fourth Circuit reversed. It found VMI's admissions policy to be unconstitutional. Virginia, in response to the Fourth Circuit's reversal, proposed to create the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL) as a parallel program for women. On appeal from the District Court's affirmation of the plan, the Fourth Circuit ruled that despite the difference in prestige between the VMI and VWIL, the two programs would offer "substantively comparable" educational benefits. The United States appealed to the Supreme Court.