How Many Remember the VMI Supreme Court Case?

2015-09-01T08:44:36-04:00

NPR coverage of Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World by Linda Hirshman. News, author interviews, critics' picks and more.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Sep 1 at 2015 8:47 AM

2015-09-01T08:47:14-04:00

That I don't recall.

Response by Lt Col Timothy Parker, DBA made Sep 1 at 2015 9:54 AM

2015-09-01T09:54:10-04:00

If you refer to the one to allow women into VMI, then I do. It also affected the Citadel who botched it up.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2015 10:13 AM

2015-09-01T10:13:57-04:00

Clarence Thomas recused himself because his son was a cadet at VMI. Who can name when a liberal or progressive judge recused themselves when they had a personal interest in a case? Bader-Ginsberg? Or Obama's gay appointees?

Response by Maj Matt Hylton made Sep 1 at 2015 12:54 PM

2015-09-01T12:54:11-04:00

I was in the class of 2002, 2nd class with females, so I remember it well. VA tried to take lesson's learned from the SC/Citadel case and follow the recommendations from that case by creating a equivalent college for women - hence the creation of VWIL at Mary-Baldwin College. However, that still didn't satisfy the court.

I have no first hand experience of what VMI was like before I was there, but talking with upperclassmen it did have an impact. Any time you take a school with only one gender and try to integrate the other, you will inherently change the system.

Response by MAJ David Wallace made Sep 3 at 2015 9:59 PM

2015-09-03T21:59:49-04:00

As a Scott-Shipp graduate from 1986, I remember what it was like having a single sex campus and life in barracks. Things were simple and we concentrated on our studies, walking penalty tours out at the range, and waiting for the weekend to get the heck out of Dodge!! I can't speak about life after VMI becoming co-ed. I have not seen a VMI graduate not worth their salt.

Response by CAPT Tom Bersson made Oct 27 at 2015 9:48 AM

2015-10-27T09:48:16-04:00

I remember it well. It was an interesting time for VMI. I read the entire ruling. I agreed with the outcome, but not the rationale.