The Craig v. Boren decision struck down which type of gender-based policy?

• A. A law mandating identical drinking ages for all genders
• B. A law requiring women to receive preferential treatment in jury selection
• C. A law banning alcohol sales to any minor
• D. A law allowing different drinking ages by gender

Answer: (D)

Gender-based classifications receive heightened scrutiny under equal protection, meaning a policy must be substantially related to an important government objective to be valid. In Craig v. Boren, the Court struck down an Oklahoma law that allowed different drinking ages for men and women, ruling that this kind of gender-based difference failed the substantial-relationship test. The state’s justification of protecting public safety wasn’t shown to be sufficiently persuasive or necessary, and there were less discriminatory ways to achieve the objective. So the policy that allowed different drinking ages by gender is unconstitutional. The other options describe non-gender-based or unrelated policies, so they don’t fit what the Court addressed.