Con Law: Individual Rights Flashcards
Constitutional protection of individual rights
Constitution protects against wrongful conduct by the government, not private parties
Requirement to sue for individual rights against private party
A private person’s must constitute state action for constitutional protections to apply.
State action
a private party exercises state action when
(1) it carries out traditional governmental functions exclusively performed by the state or
(2) when there is significant state involvement in the activities.
Significant state involvement is found when
(1) Sufficient mutual contacts between conduct and gov such that the government is pervasively entwined (e.g., overlapping membership, Board oversight, and inclusion of association employees in the state’s health and retirement programs) or mutual benefit results or
(2) State control (State must act affirmatively to facilitate, encourage, or authorize the activity).
© Mere licensing/regulation of private party is not significant state involvement.
Procedure DP is implicated when
when there is government actions that intentional take life, liberty or property.
Procedural DP requires
process (notice, hearing and a neutral decisionmaker)
Deprivation of liberty examples
physical injury, restriction of legal rights
Deprivation of property–government employment
you have a property interest in government job when you have a legitimate entitlement to continued job or benefit.
Legitimate entitlement for jobs if contractual term or discharge only “for cause”
Deprivation of property–government benefits
you have a property interest in government benefits when you have a legitimate entitlement
Procedural DP for welfare benefits:
must give notice and hearing BEFORE terminating welfare benefits,
© disability benefits, the state must give prior notice, but only a post-termination evidentiary hearing.
Procedural DP for termination of government job
must give notice and hearing BEFORE termination, unless there’s significant reason for immediate removal.
Procedural DP for drivers license revocation
must give notice and hearing BEFORE termination
Procedural DP for disability benefits:
must give notice before deprivation, but hearing can occur after, as long as prompt and fair
Procedural DP for academic suspension
must give notice before deprivation, but hearing can occur after, as long as prompt and fair
© Not entitled to a hearing with regard to dismissal for academic reasons from college
Procedural DP for seizure of property under forfeiture statutes
must give notice and hearing BEFORE seizure, unless strong justifications for seizing before notice.
Substantive Due Process: standards of review
strict: fundamental rights
rational basis: non-fundamental rights
Strict scrutiny:
law must be necessary (least restrictive means) to accomplish a compelling government interest.
BoP under strict scrutiny:
government bears the burden to show that the law is necessary and there’s a compelling interest
Intermediate scrutiny:
law must be substantially related to an important government interest
BoP under intermediate scrutiny
government bears the burden to show that the law is substantially related to an important government interest