Monday, October 19, 1998
States’ rights and civil rights
Arguing that state-run schools are protected from federal lawsuits claiming sex discrimination, the Virginia attorney general’s office has asked a federal appeals court to declare unconstitutional that part of civil rights law, known as Title IX, that pertains to public institutions of higher learning.
Civil-rights experts say that such an interpretation would mean that alleged victims of sex discrimination could not file federal suits against universities in the Fourth U.S. District. Such a ruling would have prevented Shannon Faulkner from suing the Citadel for refusing to admit women.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Ian Maitland, a male professor who sued the University of Minnesota for reverse discrimination nine years ago, was granted the right to a trial by a federal appeals court. In 1980, the university settled a landmark case by awarding $3 million in salary increases to female faculty members who were part of the class action suit. Known as the “Rajender” consent decree, the agreement established new policies to close gaps in hiring, promotions and salaries between men and women at the university. Maitland argues that the plan discriminated against him as a male.
--Matthew Winston
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