Which case extended equal protection to gender classifications with heightened scrutiny?

Which case extended equal protection to gender classifications with heightened scrutiny?

• A. Frontiero v. Richardson
• B. Loving v. Virginia
• C. Grutter v. Bollinger
• D. Katzenbach v. Morgan

Answer: (A)

Gender-based classifications are examined with greater scrutiny than ordinary law because they reflect stereotypes about men and women and can undermine fundamental equality. Frontiero v. Richardson is the case that first applied a heightened level of scrutiny to a gender classification at the federal level. The Court struck down a provision that automatically favored husbands for military benefits while requiring wives to prove dependency, finding that basing benefits on sex relied on presumptions about gender that aren’t sufficiently justified by an important governmental objective. In short, this decision holds that laws distinguishing by sex must be substantially related to an important objective, not just rationalizations rooted in stereotypes. That emphasis on a stricter review for gender distinctions distinguishes it from the other listed cases, which involve race or other issues rather than gender.

Gender-based classifications are examined with greater scrutiny than ordinary law because they reflect stereotypes about men and women and can undermine fundamental equality. Frontiero v. Richardson is the case that first applied a heightened level of scrutiny to a gender classification at the federal level. The Court struck down a provision that automatically favored husbands for military benefits while requiring wives to prove dependency, finding that basing benefits on sex relied on presumptions about gender that aren’t sufficiently justified by an important governmental objective. In short, this decision holds that laws distinguishing by sex must be substantially related to an important objective, not just rationalizations rooted in stereotypes. That emphasis on a stricter review for gender distinctions distinguishes it from the other listed cases, which involve race or other issues rather than gender.