Which amendment's equal protection analysis was central to Craig v. Boren?

• A. Fourteenth Amendment
• B. First Amendment
• C. Fifth Amendment
• D. Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Answer: (A)

The issue tested is how the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment controls state classifications, especially when they differentiate based on sex. In Craig v. Boren, the Court looked at an Oklahoma law that set a different minimum drinking age for men and women and held that sex-based classifications receive heightened scrutiny. The law must be substantially related to an important governmental objective, but the Oklahoma rule failed to meet that standard, so it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. This case is a landmark in establishing that gender distinctions in state law are subject to more than just rational basis review. The other amendments listed aren’t about state classifications in this context—the First Amendment protects speech and religion, the Fifth governs federal action, and the Twenty-Sixth concerns voting age.