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UNITED STATES v. VIRGINIA Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: The Supreme Court held that Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) male-only admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause. The Court also found Virginia’s proposed remedy—creating a separate, less rigorous women’s program—was constitutionally inadequate.
Legal Significance: This case established that all governmental gender-based classifications must be supported by an “exceedingly persuasive justification,” effectively creating a heightened form of intermediate scrutiny that approaches strict scrutiny and makes such classifications difficult to defend.
UNITED STATES v. VIRGINIA Law School Study Guide
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Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), a state-supported college, was the sole single-sex public institution of higher education in Virginia. It employed a unique and rigorous “adversative method” of education designed to produce “citizen-soldiers.” For its entire history, VMI had an exclusively male admissions policy. The United States sued Virginia and VMI, alleging this policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In its defense, Virginia argued that the single-sex policy furthered the state’s interest in educational diversity and that admitting women would fundamentally alter VMI’s adversative method. After the Fourth Circuit found the policy unconstitutional, Virginia proposed a remedial plan: the creation of the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership (VWIL) at Mary Baldwin College, a private women’s school. The VWIL program would differ significantly from VMI in its educational methodology (favoring a cooperative over an adversative approach), academic offerings, faculty credentials, funding, and prestige. The lower courts approved this remedy as providing a “substantively comparable” opportunity.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does a state’s policy of excluding women from a unique, state-supported military college, and its subsequent creation of a separate and unequal leadership program for women, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Yes. Virginia’s exclusion of women from VMI violates the Equal Protection Clause, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in vol
IRAC Legal Analysis
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IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the exact format professors want to see in your exam answers. Our exclusive Flash-to-Full briefs combine holding, analysis, and rule statements formatted to match what A+ students produce in exams. These structured briefs help reinforce the essential legal reasoning patterns expected in law school.
Legal Issue
Does a state’s policy of excluding women from a unique, state-supported military college, and its subsequent creation of a separate and unequal leadership program for women, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Conclusion
This landmark decision solidified a rigorous standard of review for gender classifications Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi
Legal Rule
Governmental action that classifies individuals based on gender is unconstitutional unless the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad m
Legal Analysis
The Court, applying heightened scrutiny, rejected Virginia's two primary justifications for VMI's Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat c
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) male-only admissions policy violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s
