SUBSTANTIVE DUE PROCESS Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

CONSTITUTIONAL SOURCE—TWO CLAUSES

A
  • 2 separate clauses protecting substantive due process:

(1) DPC of 5th Amend (fed gov); and
(2) DPC of 14th Amend (state & local govs).
- As indicated above, same tests are employed under each clause.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

APPLICABLE STANDARDS: Fundamental Right—Strict Scrutiny

A
  • Where a law limits a fundamental right, strict scrutiny will be applied, & the law (or other governmental action) will be upheld only if gov can prove action is necessary to promote a compelling/ overriding interest.
  • Fundamental rights include:
    (1) Right to travel;
    (2) Privacy;
    (3) Voting; and
    (4) All First Amendment rights.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

All Other Cases—Mere Rationality

A
  • All other cases: rationality test
  • Law will be upheld unless challenger can prove action is not rationally related to any conceivable legit end of gov.
  • Examples include the following
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Business and Labor Regulations

A
  • Ct will sustain all varieties of business regulation;
  • exs. “blue sky” laws, bank controls, insurance regulation, price & wage controls, unfair competition & trade practice controls, etc.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Taxation

A
  • Taxation: invariably sustained.
  • However, discriminatory taxes might still be invalidated.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Lifestyle

A
  • SC will uphold laws: prohibiting drugs (“hard”/“soft”), requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, or requiring police officers to have short hair.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Zoning

A
  • Regulation of ownership/use of property has also been liberally tolerated
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Statutes Forbidding Nuisances or Promoting Community’s Preferred Lifestyle

A
  • Statutes forbidding certain uses as nuisances have been sustained, as have all kinds of statutes designed to promote public’s enjoyment of space & safety/to promote a community’s preferred lifestyle & character.
  • For example, SC held that a Long Island suburb could zone out all groups of 3/more persons unrelated by blood, adoption, or marriage.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Cannot Prohibit Traditionally Related Families from Living Together

A
  • However, zoning regulations that prohibit members of traditional families from living together (i.e., zoning excluding cousins/grandchildren) violate due process
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Punitive Damages

A
  • Punitive damages do not necessarily violate due process.
  • However, “grossly excessive” damages—those that are unreasonably high to vindicate state’s interest in punishment—are invalid.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Factors Considered

A
  • In assessing whether punitive damages violate due process, key issue is whether D had fair notice of the possible magnitude of punitive damages.
  • In assessing such notice, the Ct will look to:
    (1) The reprehensibility of D’s conduct (whether D caused physical harm rather than merely economic harm, whether D acted w/ reckless disregard for harm, whether conduct was repeated rather than isolated, & whether harm resulted from intentional malice/deceit rather than from accident);
    (2) The disparity between actual/potential harm suffered by P & the punitive award; and
    (3) The difference between punitive damages award & the criminal/civil penalties authorized for comparable misconduct.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Rule of Thumb

A
  • Except for particularly egregious conduct—especially when the conduct resulted in only a small amount of compensatory damages—punitive damages should not exceed 9x the compensatory damages.
  • Rx. punitive damages of 145x compensatory damages violate due process
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Compare—Vagueness Doctrine

A
  • Under DPC of 14th Amend, a law can be held unconstitutional if it fails to provide minimal guidelines to govern law enforcement officers so as to discourage arbitrary & discriminatory enforcement
  • Ex. holding unconstitutional on vagueness grounds an ordinance that allowed officers to disperse suspected gang members when they were “loitering,” which was defined as remaining in any one place w/ no apparent purpose
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

A FEW IRREBUTTABLE PRESUMPTIONS MAY BE INVALID

A
  • If gov “presumes facts” against a person so that she is not qualified for some important benefit/right, the irrebuttable presumption may be unconstitutional.
  • Although Ct often characterizes this as a due process question, it is more accurately an equal protection question b/c gov is creating an arbitrary classification.
  • In any case, if the presumption affects a fundamental right (ex. right to travel) or a suspect or quasi-suspect classification (ex. gender), it will likely be invalid under strict scrutiny/intermediate scrutiny analysis, b/c the administrative convenience created by the presumption is not an important enough interest to justify the burden on the right/class.
  • If some other classification/right is involved, the presumption will likely be upheld under the rational basis standard.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

FAIR NOTICE

A
  • Laws that regulate people/entities must give fair notice of conduct that is forbidden/required.
  • A regulation that fails to give fair notice violates DPC
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly