Dothard v. Rawlinson - Case Background

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination in hiring based on gender. It has also been interpreted to prohibit other forms of discrimination, which, while not specifically based on gender, serve by indirect means to eliminate women from a pool of job applicants. The case of Dianne Rawlinson tested the Supreme Court's understanding of this law.

Rawlinson, a citizen of the state of Alabama, applied for a job as a state prison guard. Her application was rejected because she failed to meet a state requirement that all prison guards must be at least 5 feet 2 inches tall and weigh a minimum of 120 pounds. A separate regulation prohibited women from serving as guards in maximum security male prisons in positions that involve close contact with inmates. Rawlinson filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and brought a class action lawsuit against Alabama corrections officials, challenging the height and weight requirements and the "close contact" regulation. She claimed these rules violated her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The case first went before a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.