How has the Supreme Court used different levels of judicial scrutiny for racial, ethnic, and gender classifications?

Question

anonymous · Answer

The Court has developed three levels of judicial scrutiny (or classifications).
1. Most classifications that are reasonable (that bear a rational relationship to some legitimate governmental purpose) are constitutional.
2. Racial and ethnic classifications are inherently suspect: they arepresumed to be invalid and are upheld only if they serve a "compelling public interest" that cannot be accomplished in some other way.
c. Classifications based on gender fit somewhere between
reasonable and inherently suspect: gender classifications must bear a substantial relationship to an important legislative purpose (and is sometimes called "medium scrutiny").