United States v. Virginia
518 U.S. 515 · Decided June 26, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Virginia was decided on June 26, 1996 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 518 U.S. 515 · 116 S. Ct. 2264 · 135 L. Ed. 2d 735 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 4259
- Docket number
- 94-1941
- Decided
- June 26, 1996
- Argued
- January 17, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Did not participate: Clarence Thomas.
Full case caption
United States v. Virginia et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-085, docket 1995-085-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Alida Star Gebser and Alida Jean McCullough v. Lago Vista Independent School District
- J. E. B. v. Alabama ex Rel. T. B.
- National Collegiate Athletic Association v. R. M. Smith
- Aurelia Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education
- Boy Scouts of America and Monmouth Council v. James DaleLaw held unconstitutional
- Christine Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools and William Prescott.
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Ruth O. Shaw v. James B. Hunt, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- George W. Bush v. Al VeraLaw held unconstitutional
- Roy Romer v. Richard G. EvansLaw held unconstitutional
- M. L. B. v. S. L. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Zell Miller v. Davida JohnsonLaw held unconstitutional
- C. Martin Lawyer v. Department of Justice
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Robert Attwood v. Harry K. Singletary, Jr.
- Sylvester Jones v. Abc-Tv
- Wisconsin v. City of New York
- Fortis Morse v. Republican Party of Virginia
- James O'Connor v. Consolidated Coin Caterers Corporation
- Liang-Houh Shieh v. Edward Kakita
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error