Also known as:rational relations · rational relationship · rational relationships · rational basis · rational basis test · rational basis review
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A constitutional standard of review that upholds governmental action when the means chosen bear a minimally rational connection to a legitimate state objective. The test presumes validity unless the classification or regulation is wholly arbitrary or irrational.
Sources & Authorities· 8 primary sources
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Cases
Restatements
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Visa Restriction Upheld
The President issues an order halting visas for construction workers from several majority-Muslim nations after intelligence reports flag sabotage risks to ports and military facilities. Alpha Framing, a contractor affected by the order, sues claiming religious animus. The court applies rational relation review and sustains the order because its stated national-security purpose supplies a legitimate objective and the temporary entry limits are rationally connected to preventing infiltration.
Bankruptcy Filing Reviewed
Ravi Reddy files for bankruptcy to discharge student loans while applying for bar admission. The character-and-fitness committee cites the filing as evidence of financial irresponsibility. The court upholds the inquiry because bar authorities may examine a wide range of conduct, including prior bankruptcy, so long as the questions remain rationally related to fitness to practice law.
A state enacts a statute banning most abortions. Rosalind Reed, a physician, challenges the law on due-process grounds. The court notes that even under rational-relation review a statute prohibiting abortion when the mother's life is at stake would lack any rational connection to a valid state objective and therefore could not stand.
Roe v. Wade410 U.S. 113 (1973)
Birth-Control Ban Examined
A state criminalizes the use of contraceptives by married couples. Riley Rivera and her spouse are prosecuted under the statute. The court observes that where a fundamental personal liberty is at stake the state may not prevail merely by showing some rational relation to a proper purpose. A compelling interest must be demonstrated instead.
Griswold v. Connecticut381 U.S. 479 (1965)
Housing Ordinance Upheld
A city zoning code limits occupancy of single-family homes to the head of household plus one dependent child. Rebecca Ross, who lives with her two grandsons, is cited for violating the ordinance. The court sustains the rule because the classification is rationally related to the legitimate objective of preserving the character of single-family neighborhoods.
Moore v. City of East Cleveland, Ohio431 U.S. 494, 503 (1977)
Illegitimacy Distinction Reviewed
A state statute bars illegitimate children from inheriting from their fathers by intestacy. Raymond Ramos, an illegitimate child, is denied a share of his father's estate. The court holds that the classification must bear at least a rational relation to a legitimate state purpose and strikes down the statute because the distinction rests on an impermissible generalization about illegitimate children.
Trimble v. Gordon430 U.S. 762, 775 n.16 (1977)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
What two elements must a law satisfy under rational-relation review?+
The government must pursue a legitimate objective, and the means chosen must bear a minimally rational connection to that objective. Only wholly arbitrary or irrational action fails the test.
Supporting sources
Does rational-relation review allow a court to second-guess the legislature's actual motives?+
No. Courts accept any conceivable legitimate purpose that the classification might rationally advance, even if the legislature never articulated it.
Supporting sources
When does a classification fail rational-relation review?+
A classification fails only when it is wholly arbitrary or irrational and bears no rational connection to any legitimate governmental interest.
Supporting sources
410 U.S. 113 (1973)Constitutional Law
…test traditionally applied in the area of social and economic legislation is whether or not a law such as that challenged has a rational relation to a valid state objective. Williamson v. Lee Optical Co. , 348 U. S. 483, 491 (1955). The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment undoubtedly does place a limit, albeit a broad…