Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney (1978)
- Docket
- 78-233
- Decided
- 1978-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the law discriminate against women and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: No. The Court held that the law was enacted to serve "legitimate and worthy purposes" and not to discriminate on the basis of sex. Even though few women benefitted from the scheme, Justice Stewart argued that "veteran status is not uniquely male." Furthermore, the law placed many men who were not veterans at a disadvantage as well. The distinction in the law was clearly between veterans and nonveterans, not between men and women.