NATION IN BRIEF : VIRGINIA : Court Refuses Bid to Rehear VMI Case

An appeals court in Richmond has refused to rehear the federal government’s lawsuit challenging the all-male admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 6 to 4 in favor of rehearing the case. However, three judges did not vote, and a rehearing requires approval of a majority of the court’s 13 judges. Virginia is establishing a separate military-style program for women at Mary Baldwin College to comply with a ruling by an appeals panel. In that 2-1 ruling, the panel said VMI must admit women or go private unless the state offers comparable training for women elsewhere. In dissenting, Judge Diana Motz said there is no way to create a program for women that would equal the prestige of VMI.