Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte Board of Directors - Significance, Local California Rotary Chapter Creates "international" Incident, Membership Originally Open To Men Only

Petitioner

Board of Directors, Rotary International

Respondent

Rotary Club of Duarte

Petitioner's Claim

That a California law prohibiting gender discrimination in business organizations violates the First Amendment right to freedom of association.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Judith Resnik

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

William P. Sutter

Justices for the Court

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. (writing for the Court), William H. Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

None (Harry A. Blackmun and Sandra Day O'Connor did not participate)

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

4 May 1987

Decision

A California law requiring full and equal accommodations to both sexes in business establishments is constitutional and does not violate the First Amendment when applied to a broad-based business and professional organization.

Related Cases

• Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609 (1984).
• Beynon v. St. George-Dixie Lodge No. 1783, Benev. & Protective Order of Elks, 854 P.2d 513 (1993).
• South Boston Allied War Veterans Council v. City of Boston, 875 F.Supp. 891 (1995).

Further Readings

• Baldwin, Gordon B. "The Library Bill of Rights--A Critique." Library Trends, summer 1996, p. 7.
• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt, eds. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1996.