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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Dothard v. Rawlinson
Citation:
433 U.S. 321 (1977)Facts
Dianne Rawlinson, a 22-year-old college graduate with a degree in correctional psychology, applied for a position as a correctional counselor trainee with the Alabama Board of Corrections. Her application was rejected because she failed to meet the minimum 120-pound weight requirement established by Alabama statute, which also required a minimum height of 5’2″. After receiving a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC, Rawlinson filed a class action lawsuit challenging these requirements as discriminatory against women. While the suit was pending, the Alabama Board of Corrections adopted Administrative Regulation 204, establishing gender criteria for “contact positions” in maximum-security institutions. Rawlinson amended her complaint to challenge this regulation as well. At the time of litigation, Alabama operated four major all-male maximum-security penitentiaries with dangerous conditions, including overcrowding, violence, and inadequate classification of inmates. Women held only 12.9% of correctional counselor positions in Alabama, and Regulation 204 effectively excluded women from approximately 75% of available correctional counselor jobs.
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