Supreme Court Case To Test Women’s Rights

A landmark case that could establish the extent of equal rights for women will be heard early next year by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to settle the contentious legal issues raised by publicly supported all-male military academies, and lawyers involved in the case say the decision could have across-the-board impact on same-sex education generally.

It is expected to be the most important decision on women’s rights in two decades.

First, the justices will decide whether Virginia violated the Constitution by operating the Virginia Military Institute, a four-year school with 1,300 cadets emphasizing stress and abuse, without offering the same opportunity for women.

If so, they will then have to decide whether women must be admitted to VMI itself, or whether it is enough to set up a leadership training program for women at another institution.