In Cannon v. University of Chicago et al., the U.S Supreme Court ruled that private individuals have the right to sue for sex discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The case was brought by a woman, Geraldine Cannon, who alleged she had been denied admission to medical school based on her gender and age. The court held in a 6-3 decision that while Title IX does not explicitly grant individuals this right, it is implied within its provisions. This landmark ruling significantly expanded protections against sex discrimination in education and has since been used as precedent for many other anti-discrimination cases.

In the dissenting opinion for Cannon v. University of Chicago et al., Justice Powell, joined by Chief Justice Burger and Justice Rehnquist, argued that Title IX should not be interpreted to imply a private right of action. They contended that Congress did not explicitly provide this remedy in the statute's text or legislative history. The dissenters believed it was inappropriate for courts to infer such a significant legal recourse without clear congressional intent. Furthermore, they expressed concern about judicial overreach and cautioned against courts creating remedies beyond those specified by lawmakers. This view held that only Congress has the authority to determine whether federal laws like Title IX should include private rights of action as enforcement mechanisms.