Also known as: rationally related to legitimate government interest · rational relation to legitimate governmental purpose · rational basis test · rational basis review · rational basis scrutiny
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A constitutional standard of review under which a classification or regulation is upheld if it bears a rational relationship to a legitimate governmental objective. Courts apply this standard to classifications that do not involve suspect classes or fundamental rights. The inquiry asks only whether the government can articulate a plausible connection between the measure and a permissible public purpose.
The state enacts a statute requiring all police officers to retire at age fifty. Officer Rachel Ramirez remains physically fit and seeks to continue working. The department enforces the retirement rule. A court upholds the statute because the age limit connects to the goal of maintaining a capable force even if some individuals exceed the average fitness level.
The President issues an order barring entry of nationals from several majority-Muslim countries. The order cites cybersecurity threats to defense contractors. Rajesh Rao, a software engineer from one of the listed countries, challenges the order on Establishment Clause grounds. A court sustains the order because the national-security rationale supplies a legitimate purpose and the country-based restrictions connect rationally to that purpose.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
A state funds public schools primarily through local property taxes, producing wide differences in per-pupil spending between wealthy and poor districts. Raphael Rivera, a student in a low-wealth district, sues claiming the system violates equal protection. The court upholds the funding method because reliance on local taxes advances the legitimate objective of preserving local control over education.
A city denies a permit for a group home for adults with intellectual disabilities after neighbors express fears of increased crime. The home operator sues, alleging the denial rests on prejudice. The court strikes down the denial because the city offered no evidence supporting the asserted safety concerns and the distinction therefore lacks any rational connection to a legitimate purpose.
A state constitution requires judges to retire at age seventy. Judge Roger Ramirez, who remains mentally sharp, challenges the rule. The court upholds the provision because the age cutoff rationally advances the legitimate interest in ensuring judicial vigor and public confidence in the courts.
Congress attempts to authorize private damages suits against states for age discrimination in employment. State employees over forty sue under the statute. The court holds that the remedy exceeds congressional power because age classifications receive only rational basis review and the statute reaches much conduct that is constitutional.
Rational basis review requires only that the classification be rationally related to a legitimate governmental purpose. Courts defer heavily to legislative judgments and will uphold a law even if it is underinclusive or overinclusive.
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No. When the law states a facially legitimate purpose and bears a rational relationship to that purpose, courts generally uphold it even if statements by officials suggest an improper motive.
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No. Because classifications subject to rational basis review are presumptively constitutional, Congress must identify a pattern of unconstitutional state conduct and tailor its remedy congruently and proportionally to that pattern.
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No. Rational basis review does not demand narrow tailoring. A law survives if any plausible legitimate purpose exists and the classification is rationally related to it.
Supporting sources
…the ground that "[t]he crafting and safeguarding of public morality . . . indisputably is a legitimate government interest under rational basis scrutiny"); Milner v. Apfel , 148 F. 3d 812, 814 (CA7 1998) (citing Bowers for the proposition that "[l]egislatures are permitted to legislate with regard to morality . . . rather than confined…