Constitutional Law October 25, 2004

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Constitutional LawOctober 25, 2004

• Equal Protection Due Process
• Equal Protection (Classifications)
• Other Suspect Classifications
• Disparate Impact
• Introduction
• Washington v. Davis
• Application
• Where DI is Enough
• Proving Discriminatory Intent
• Affirmative Action

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Recap

• Suspect
• Race Nat. Or.
• Some Alienage
• Quasi-Suspect
• Gender
• Non-Marital Children
• Not Suspect
• Age
• Wealth
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation?

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F. Disparate Impact1. Introduction

• Facial Discrimination
• Disparate Impact
• Facially Neutral Classification
• Disproportionate Effect
• Competing Implications (link)
• Political Process Perspective
• Individual Rights Perspective

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2. Washington v. Davis

• Test for Police Dept.
• Rejection of SS
• Requirement is neutral
• DI does not demonstrate discrimination
• No evidence of discriminatory motives
• Practical difficulties of SS
• DI requires proof of intent

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3. Application

• McLeskey v. Kemp
• Statistical Application of Death Penalty
• No Proof of Individual Discrimination
• Mobile v. Bolden
• At Large Voting
• Rejected Evidence of Intent (link)
• Geduldig v. Aiello
• Insurance Coverage for Pregnancy
• Pregnancy is not Gender

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4. Where DI is Enough

• Statutes (employment, VRA)
• Prima Facie Case (statistics or individual)
• Neutral Explanation (job-relatedness)
• Pretext (inconsistent application)
• Batson (peremptory challenges)
• Prima Facie Case (pattern)
• Neutral Explanation (easy)
• Pretext (inconsistent application)

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5. Proving Intent

• Types of Evidence (Arlington Hts)
• Impact Itself (Yick Wo and Feeney)
• Direct Evidence (Hunter v. Underwood)
• Procedural or Substantive Irregularities
• Bad Fit? (Romer)
• If Proved
• Apply Heightened Scrutiny?
• Per se Invalid?

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Disparate Impact
Neutral Classification Test
Class Pass Test
Class Fail Test

75 White
75 Minority
Victims of Past Discrimination Lack Political
Power
Beneficiaries of Past Discrimination Have
Political Power
Political Process Problems
No Individual Discrimination
No Stigma Stereotypes Not Immutable
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Mobile
Contrast Rogers v. Lodge
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