Dothard v. Rawlinson (1977) addressed which candidate qualification issue?

• A. Educational requirements
• B. Age requirements
• C. Height and weight requirements for necessary job performance
• D. Gender-based screening

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that physical screening criteria for police work must be tied to actual job performance and supported by evidence. In Dothard v. Rawlinson, the Supreme Court looked at Alabama’s prison guard height and weight standards and ruled that such requirements can be permissible only if they are demonstrably job-related and necessary for safe and effective performance. The decision emphasized that the employer must back these standards with proper job analysis and evidence showing a real connection to duties, and it warned that standards with a disparate impact on a protected group must be justified by business necessity. So the issue addressed is whether height and weight requirements for necessary job performance are valid, not educational, age, or gender-based screening per se.