THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170306
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, S.C. LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
The Supreme Court on Monday put The Citadel's effort to remain all-male back in the hands of a judge in Charleston, at least until the high court hears a similar case involving the Virginia Military Intitute.
The justices, without comment, refused to hear South Carolina's bid to preserve the state military college's men-only policy.
Previously, a federal appeals court ruled that The Citadel can remain all-male if it comes up with a separate but comparable program for women.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide that very issue in a case involving VMI, the only other all-male, state-supported military school in the nation. The Clinton administration has asked the justices to reject VMI's recently created military-style program for women at Mary Baldwin College.
Administration lawyers opposed South Carolina's appeal as premature because The Citadel case is still before a federal court in Charleston.
U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck has set a hearing next month on whether a state-funded leadership program at all-female Converse College in Spartanburg is an adequate alternative to admitting women to The Citadel.
Earlier this month, the judge allowed 17-year-old Nancy Mellette to take Shannon Faulkner's place in the 2 1/2-year legal battle to open The Citadel to women. Faulkner dropped out of The Citadel in August.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SUPREME COURT VMI by CNB