Age Discrimination

Question 1

Massachusetts v. Merger

Answer 1

the requirement of mandatory retirement on commercial airlines

i) Rule: Age is not a suspect class so rational basis scrutiny is applied
(1) Age 60 is predictive of the increase in many problems associated with hearing, eyesight, slower reflexes — rational basis for the law.

Question 2

United States RR Retirement BD v. Fritz (1980)(p. 1300)

Answer 2

i) Under inclusive federal law disallowing windfall benefits to some RR workers in receiving their pension.
ii) Held: The classification of RR workers by Congress was not arbitrary and irrational and was not a violation of the Equal Protection Clause
(1) Rule: (1) Must ask whether Congress achieved its propose in a patently arbitrary or irrational way; (2) It is constitutionally irrelevant whether this reasoning in fact underlay the legislative decision.
(2) The legislature does not have to state the reasoning for the law, extreme deference, presumed valid so long as there is some plausible reason for the act.
iii) Dissent: The Court assumes that Congress must have intended whatever result actually happened. This is tautology.