Also known as: rationally related · legitimate government purpose · rational basis test · rational basis review · rational basis scrutiny
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A standard of judicial review under which legislation or governmental action is upheld if it bears a reasonable relationship to any legitimate governmental objective not prohibited by the Constitution. Courts accept any conceivable purpose and require only that the means chosen appear rationally connected to that end. The test supplies the lowest level of scrutiny and applies to classifications that neither burden fundamental rights nor target suspect classes.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
President issues an order barring entry of pilots from several majority-Muslim countries after intelligence reports flag heightened hijacking risks at U.S. airports. Angelica, a foreign national seeking pilot training, sues claiming the order stems from religious animus. The court upholds the order because its stated national-security objective supplies a legitimate purpose and the entry limits advance that purpose under deferential review.
A state statute limits marriage to opposite-sex couples. Ryan Roberts and Ronald Reed, a same-sex couple, challenge the statute after their out-of-state marriage is not recognized. The court sustains the statute because the state advances the legitimate purpose of regulating domestic relations and the classification is rationally connected to that end.
Pennsylvania enacts a statute requiring spousal notification before an abortion. Rosalind Reed challenges the provision after her husband objects. The court upholds the requirement because the state asserts legitimate interests in potential life and marital integrity and the rule is rationally related to those interests.
East Cleveland adopts an ordinance limiting occupancy to members of a nuclear family. Roger Ramirez, who lives with his grandson, faces eviction under the rule. The court strikes the ordinance because it lacks any rational relationship to the city's asserted interests in density control and traffic reduction.
New London approves a redevelopment plan that transfers private homes to commercial developers. Ricardo Rojas, whose property is condemned, claims the taking serves only private interests. The court upholds the plan because economic revitalization constitutes a legitimate public purpose and the transfer is rationally related to that purpose.
Texas funds public schools primarily through local property taxes, producing wide spending gaps between districts. Riley Rivera, a student in a low-wealth district, sues claiming the system denies equal educational opportunity. The court sustains the funding scheme because local control of education supplies a legitimate purpose and the tax-based method is rationally related to that purpose.
Rational basis review asks only whether the classification is rationally related to a legitimate government purpose. Courts accept any conceivable legitimate purpose and require only a reasonable connection between the means and that end. This standard is highly deferential and upholds nearly all economic and social legislation.
Supporting sources
No. Under rational basis review a law may be underinclusive or overinclusive so long as it is rationally related to a legitimate purpose. Courts permit legislatures to address problems incrementally and accept imperfect classifications.
…at issue here do not violate the Equal Protection Clause, because distinguishing between opposite-sex and same-sex couples is rationally related to the States’ “legitimate state interest” in “preserving the traditional institution of marriage.” Lawrence , 539 U.S., at 585 (O’Connor, J., concurring in judgment). It is important to…
…interest which is compelling," Bates v. Little Rock , 361 U. S. 516, 524. The law must be shown "necessary, and not merely rationally related, to the accomplishment of a permissible state policy." McLaughlin v. Florida , 379 U. S. 184, 196. See Schneider v. Irvington , 308 U. S. 147, 161. Although the Connecticut birth-control…
…and traffic congestion. The ordinance distinguishes between different types of family relationships in a manner that is not rationally related
…essence of my position, I will not swell the United States Reports with repetition of what I have said before; and applying the
…benefit: "[A]s long as Monsanto is aware of the conditions under which the data are submitted, and the conditions are rationally related
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Rational basis review requires only a rational relationship to a legitimate purpose, while strict scrutiny demands a compelling interest and narrow tailoring. Federal alienage classifications and most economic regulations receive rational basis review rather than strict scrutiny.
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No. Under rational basis review the court examines whether the stated purpose is legitimate and rationally advanced by the measure. Extrinsic statements suggesting bias do not invalidate the law when the text supplies an independent legitimate objective.
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