Rehnquist Orders Citadel to Open Doors to First Woman

Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist cleared the way Tuesday for the first woman to attend day classes at The Citadel, a 151-year-old state military academy in Charleston, S.C.

Shannon Faulkner, 18, had applied and won admittance to the academy last year before school officials realized she was a woman. Although both a federal judge and a U.S. appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled that she must be admitted, lawyers for The Citadel asked the Supreme Court to block the move.

Last week, Rehnquist unexpectedly granted a temporary stay halting Faulkner’s enrollment. But without explanation, he lifted the order Tuesday.

A single justice may grant a stay if he or she believes the full court is likely to agree with the action. But the chief justice may have learned over the weekend that a majority would not support The Citadel’s men-only policy.

“Shannon’s very, very excited,” her mother, Sandy, told the Associated Press. “She grabbed her suitcase and started packing.”

Faulkner plans to start classes on Thursday, which is her 19th birthday.

Citadel attorney Dawes Cooke said he was disappointed with the decision, but that the school would not seek further Supreme Court review.

School President Claudius Watts III said Faulkner will be welcomed on campus and “The Citadel will adhere to the law of the land.”

During the 1970s, the Supreme Court outlawed gender discrimination by public agencies. Until Tuesday, The Citadel and the Virginia Military Institute were the last remaining public colleges that have refused to admit women. A separate challenge to VMI’s policy is pending.

More than 1,600 women now take evening classes at The Citadel.