Due Process/EP Flashcards
(25 cards)
Substantive Due Process text
14th amendment (state and local laws)
Substantive Due Process test
- What has the gov’t deprived you of?
- Determine the laws purpose and how well it fits the purported gov’t end sought.
- Is it a fundamental right based on history/tradition or emerging awareness?
- If yes, is there a significant infringement?
If yes to 3 AND 4 –> Strict scrutiny
If no to 3 OR 4 –> rational basis
Substantive due process Strict scrutiny
- Is there a compelling state interest?
- safety/health/national security
No? law fails SS
Yes? Go to 2. - Is the law narrowly tailored to achieve compelling state interest?
- law cannot be over/under inclusive
Substantive due process Rational Basis
- Is there a legitimate state interest?
2. Is the law rationally related to that interest?
Substantive Due Process Analysis steps
- State action
- Fundamental Right?
- History/Tradition?
- RB or SS
- Enabling clause
Substantive Due Process Fundamental Rights
Marry,
Have family
Raise family how you want
Equal Protection Fundamental Rights
Voting
Education
Travel
Substantive Due Process – Abortion
- State action
- Conception -> Viability
- state can regulate abortion so long as the law doesn’t create an undue burden (or substantial obstacle)
AND
- regulation is related to informing the woman or protecting her health - Viability -> on
- state can ban abortion, except where mother’s life is in jeopardy - enabling clause
Equal Protection: Discrimination analysis steps
- State action
- classification scheme on face or as applied?
- who is benefited/burdened?
- purpose of law?
- are the classes similarly situated?
- is there discriminatory intent AND disproportionate impact?
- RB/IS/SS
- Enabling Clause
Discriminatory Intent steps to prove
- Substantial, unexplainable, stark, grossly disproportionate impact
- Historical background (past history of intentional discrimination by D)
- specific (procedural) sequence of events leading up to the challenged action
- timing of the challenged action
- legislative history or contemporaneous testimony by the gov’t
- substantive departures from prior decisions
- foreseeability of disproportionate impact
Equal Protection Intermediate Scrutiny
Gender
Illegitimate children
undocumented alien children’s access to education
Test:
- Important state interest
- Substantially related to gov’t interest
How to get to a suspect class
- unchangeable characteristic
- class lacks ability to protect themselves
- history of discrimination
- characteristic that defines class is irrelevant to its contributions to society
Equal Protection Strict Scrutiny
Race
National Origin
Alienage (some state laws)
Test:
- compelling state interest
- narrowly tailored
- is the law necessary means to the end?
- was there a consideration of race-neutral means?
- was there a consideration of individualized determination?
- was there a consideration of temporary measures/limited duration?
Equal Protection Hybrid Rational Basis
Sexual Orientation
Mental disability
Test:
- legitimate state interest (law not assumed to be valid)
- rationally related (with actual interests of the law)
Equal Protection Past discrimination
same test for affirmative action
Test: remedying past discrimination is compelling state interest
- remedying discrimination of your own?
- is it a precise remedy?
- passive participant in private discrimination
Equal Protection: fundamental rights
substantial burden –> SS
Insubstantial burden –> RB
Equal Protection: FR: Right to vote
- must determine the level of burden
- courts look at whether the condition on voting is reasonably related to determining voter qualifications
ex. voter must be 18 (insubstantial) –> RB
ex. poll tax (substantial) –> SS
Test:
- state action
- general interest election
- can also implicate right to travel
- substantial –> SS
- Insubstantial –> RB
- enabling clause
Equal Protection: FR: Right to Travel
- move to a new state with intent to stay permanently –> rights of a citizen of that state (14th amendment Privileges and Immunities)
- if penalty –> SS
- penalty:
- (1) substantial waiting period (2) on a vital gov’t benefit
- welfare, emergency med care, voting
- all fixed point requirements –> penalty
- durational requirements –> usually not penalties
- if no penalty –> RB
Test:
- state action
- permanent move (14th p&i)
- penalty (EP: FR)
- fixed point: SS
- Durational point: 30 days RB; 1 yr SS
- Enabling clause
Art IV, sec 2
Privileges and Immunities: temporary travel
Privileges and Immunities: temporary travel test
Test:
- temp out-of-state travel
- only protects fundamental p&i
- denial of right permitted if substantial reason for deprivation
OR
- out-of-stater is a peculiar form of evil
NO state action or enabling clause
State Action
- for any 14th amendment question, make sure D’s conduct constitutes state action
- if it is clear that gov’t is D, don’t need state action analysis
State Action tests
- Traditional gov’t function (company towns/voting)
- private party is performing a function which has a history and tradition of being exclusively gov’t controlled - Gov’t compelled discrimination
- more than allowance, permission, aid, or encouragement - gov’t enforcement of private discrimination (but for)
- would discrimination have occurred without gov’t involvement? - symbiotic relationship – one party NEEDS the other to survive
- pervasive entwinement
- private actor is behaving so similarly to gov’t it could be mistaken as part of the gov’t
Procedural Due Process
A 1 is there a protected liberty interest or property interest at stake?
2 liberty = reputation
- not being physically punished
- refuse antipsychotic drugs
- having custody of children
- not
- prisoners
- lost job but can find another (no defamation)
3 property
- legitimate claim of entitlement
- state law to fed law to contract
B 1 If liberty/property interest, you are entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard
2 how much –> balancing test
a what is the importance of the individual interest at stake?
b what is the risk of erroneous deprivation of individual’s right b/c of procedures adopted, and what is the value of additional substitute procedure?
c how burdensome for gov’t to provide additional procedures?
Enabling clause text
Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of the 14th amendment.
when congress passes a law to carry out the 14th amendment, it must comply with the enabling clause