AP Gov – Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Cases Practice Test

Gender-based classifications under the Equal Protection Clause must be substantially related to an important government objective. Reed v. Reed held that Idaho’s law preferring men to be the estate administrator was unconstitutional because the sex-based distinction was not tied to an important objective in a way that substantially related to achieving it. This case helped establish that laws differentiating by gender face heightened scrutiny and cannot be arbitrary or based on stereotypes.

A simple government preference for one gender in all matters isn’t allowed, and some gender classifications can survive only if they satisfy that substantial-relationship requirement; purely rational-basis review is too weak for sex-based distinctions.