1978: in regents of the university of california v. bakke, the supreme court rules that schools setting aside a number of slots to admit minority students violates the equal protection clause.1996: in united states v. virginia, the supreme court rules that a military school must provide women with equal treatment by admitting them to the same program as men.2015: in obergefell v. hodges, the supreme court rules that state laws forbidding same-sex marriage violate the equal protection clause.

what do the events in this timeline suggest about how the supreme court has interpreted equal protection?
a. it has interpreted equal protection in ways that expand the rights of minorities but not of women.
b. it has interpreted equal protection as less important in the 21st century.
c. it has interpreted equal protection as applying at the federal level, not at the state level.
d. it has interpreted equal protection in ways that expand civil rights for minorities and women and ways that limit programs intended to benefit minorities.