Which case addressed gender-based admissions and struck down policies favoring male-only admissions?

• A. Reed v. Reed
• B. Brown v. Board of Education
• C. Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
• D. United States v. Virginia

Answer: (D)

Gender equality in education and how the Equal Protection Clause applies to admissions policies are being tested. United States v. Virginia directly addressed whether a state-supported institution could keep a male-only admissions policy. The Supreme Court ruled that excluding women violated the Fourteenth Amendment, applying heightened scrutiny to gender classifications and requiring a justification that is substantially related to an important objective. Virginia’s justification—touting the benefits of a single-sex military-style education—was not enough, and the Court found that there were workable alternatives to provide women with comparable educational opportunities. The decision makes clear that gender-based exclusions in higher education must be open to all or replaced with an equally effective option.

Reed v. Reed, Brown v. Board of Education, and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke involve other equality issues—sex discrimination in probate law, racial segregation in education, and race-based admissions, respectively—so they do not address the specific issue of gender-based admissions in the way United States v. Virginia does.