Three days before she was to don military gray and break The Citadel's 151 years of all-male tradition, a federal appeals court on Friday ordered Shannon Faulkner back to civilian life.
Following a federal judge's ruling in her favor, Faulkner was to enroll in The Citadel's corps of cadets on Monday and have her long brown hair shaved off.But a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that she must continue as a daytime civilian student at The Citadel while the court considers the school's appeal to keep her out of the corps. The judges said they would schedule arguments for December.
School policy is not to accept new cadets for the January term. If the court rules in her favor, Faulkner likely would not be allowed to enroll in the school until next fall.
The 19-year-old seemed to be taking it in stride.
"Nothing surprises me anymore. This is the third stay that has been put on my case. It's just like another day for me," Faulkner said as she drank ice tea and petted her cat on the porch of her Powdersville home.
The Citadel won a similar stay a year ago to keep Faulkner out of its day classes.