Dothard v. Rawlinson

Petitioner

E. C. Dothard, et al.

Respondent

Dianne Rawlinson, et al.

Petitioner's Claim

That an Alabama law establishing height and weight requirements for state prison guards and barring women from serving as guards in male prisons was permissible under federal civil rights law.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

C. Daniel Evans

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Pamela S. Horowitz

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Potter Stewart (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting

Byron R. White

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

27 June 1977

Decision

Alabama's ban on women prison guards was permissible under federal civil rights law, but its height and weight requirements were not.

Significance

The Supreme Court's decision in Dothard v. Rawlinson clarified the Court's interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Impact

The Supreme Court's decision in Dothard v. Rawlinson was referred to in a number of subsequent sex discrimination cases.

Related Cases

• Furnco Construction Corp. v. Waters, 438 U.S. 567 (1978).
• Connecticut v. Teal, 457 U.S. 440 (1982).
• Wards Cove Packing v. Atonio, 490 U.S. 642 (1989).
• Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc., 499 U.S. 187 (1991).