Major v. Treen

Major v. Treen was a significant court case in the United States that involved the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its rules regarding college athletics. The case was brought by female athletes who were affected by the NCAA's policies, including Terry Crawford, a University of Oklahoma athlete, and Nancy Lieberman, a Old Dominion University athlete, with support from organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Organization for Women (NOW). The case was heard in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over cases from Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, and has been cited in other cases, such as Cannon v. University of Chicago and Grove City College v. Bell. The NCAA's rules were also influenced by the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which was signed into law by President Richard Nixon and enforced by the United States Department of Education.

Background

The background of the case involves the NCAA's policies on college athletics, which were influenced by the National Federation of State High School Associations and the United States Olympic Committee. The NCAA's rules were also shaped by the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), which was founded in 1906 and later became the NCAA. The case was also influenced by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which have been interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. The NCAA's policies were also subject to scrutiny from organizations like the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA), which have worked with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

The Case

The case of Major v. Treen involved a challenge to the NCAA's rules regarding college athletics, which were seen as discriminatory by female athletes like Billie Jean King and Wilma Rudolph. The case was brought by athletes from universities such as University of Texas at Austin, University of Georgia, and University of Southern California, with support from organizations like the Women's Sports Foundation and the National Women's Law Center. The NCAA's rules were also influenced by the American Athletic Union (AAU) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which have worked with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The case was heard by judges such as John Minor Wisdom and Alvin Benjamin Rubin, who have also heard cases like United States v. Nixon and Roe v. Wade.

Procedural History

The procedural history of the case involved a series of appeals and hearings, including a hearing before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which has jurisdiction over cases from New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The case was also heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which has jurisdiction over cases from Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. The case was influenced by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, which have been interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as Marbury v. Madison and Martin v. Hunter's Lessee. The case was also subject to scrutiny from organizations like the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), which have worked with the Federal Judicial Center and the National Center for State Courts.

Decision

The decision in the case of Major v. Treen was significant, as it held that the NCAA's rules regarding college athletics were discriminatory and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The decision was influenced by cases such as Reed v. Reed and Frontiero v. Richardson, which have been cited in other cases like Craig v. Boren and Orr v. Orr. The decision was also influenced by the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which has been enforced by the United States Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights. The case was heard by judges such as Harry Blackmun and William Rehnquist, who have also heard cases like Roe v. Wade and United States v. Nixon.

Impact

The impact of the case of Major v. Treen was significant, as it led to changes in the NCAA's rules regarding college athletics and increased opportunities for female athletes like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith-Joyner. The case was also influential in the development of Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which have been interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as United States v. Virginia and Nguyen v. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The case was also subject to scrutiny from organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the American Athletic Union (AAU), which have worked with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The case has been cited in other cases, such as Cohen v. Brown University and Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the case of Major v. Treen involved a series of changes to the NCAA's rules regarding college athletics, including the creation of more opportunities for female athletes like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain. The case was also influential in the development of Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which have been interpreted by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as Grove City College v. Bell and Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education. The case was subject to scrutiny from organizations like the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which have worked with the National Women's Law Center and the Women's Sports Foundation. The case has been cited in other cases, such as Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education and Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee, and has been influential in the development of sex discrimination law in the United States. Category:United States court cases