Justice O’Connor first to question lawyers in sex-discrimination case

United Press International
WASHINGTON – Justice Sandra O’Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, was the first to questton attorneys Wednesday in a sex-discrimination case of intense interest to women’s rights advocates. The case, brought by two Connecticut school boards, tests the government’s powers to police the job practices of schools and colleges that receive federal funds and to cut off funding if sex discrimination is found. The chief point of controversy is whether Congress intended for the Department of Education to use its rules to weed out sex discrimination in the field of employment practices. In appealing a ruling that allows the government to act against them for allegedly discriminating against two female employees, the North Haven and Trumbull boards of education contend that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 never was meant to apply to faculty, administrators and 1 teachers but only to students. They say the agency went beyond its authority in , adopting regulations covering employment and the rules should be declared invalid. Representing the government, Solicitor General Rex Lee defended the regulations as they apply to employment. But he also made a significant concession. Lee indicated that the Justice Department now ] acknowledges that Title IX cannot be applied as broadly as women’s rights groups might have liked. Retreating from a position held under the Carter administration, Lee said it is agreed the law can be used to penalize only