Also known as: rationally related to legitimate governmental interest · rational relation to legitimate state interest · rational basis test · rational basis review · rational basis scrutiny
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An objective standard of judicial review under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses. A law or classification satisfies the standard when it bears a reasonable relationship to a permissible governmental objective such as public safety, national security, or administrative efficiency.
Rhea Reynolds, a fifty-one-year-old police officer, challenges a city rule requiring retirement at age fifty. The city defends the rule by pointing to the need for officers who can meet rigorous physical demands during emergencies. The court upholds the rule because the age cutoff advances the city's interest in maintaining an effective force even though Reynolds remains fit.
Renee Rogers, a lawyer from a majority-Muslim country, is denied a visa under an executive order citing national-security risks. The order states that the restrictions will reduce the chance of sanctions evasion by foreign professionals. The court sustains the order because the stated security goal is legitimate and the entry limits are connected to that goal.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Ravi Reddy, a parent in a low-property-tax district, sues over the state's reliance on local property taxes to fund schools. The state shows that the system encourages local control and efficient use of resources. The court finds the funding method satisfies the standard because it is connected to the legitimate goal of preserving local autonomy.
Rebecca Ross, an operator of an abortion clinic, attacks a state rule requiring admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The state asserts the rule protects patient health by ensuring backup care. The court upholds the rule because the requirement is connected to the legitimate objective of promoting safe medical procedures.
Rachel Ramirez sues her attacker under a federal statute creating a civil remedy for gender-motivated violence. Congress justified the remedy as a response to the aggregate effects of such violence on interstate commerce. The court rejects the statute because the remedy is not connected to any legitimate federal regulatory purpose under the Commerce Clause.
Roland Rhodes is prosecuted for carrying a handgun near a school. Congress defended the ban as a measure to reduce violent crime that affects the national economy. The court strikes down the statute because the prohibition is not rationally connected to any legitimate federal interest in regulating interstate commerce.
The classification is upheld if it is rationally related to a legitimate state purpose. Courts defer to legislative judgments and will sustain the law even if it is underinclusive or overinclusive.
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No. Moral disapproval of private consensual adult conduct is not a legitimate governmental interest. A law resting solely on that ground fails even rational basis review.
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Courts give substantial deference. A law may be upheld even if it is not the best means to achieve the goal or if the legislature could have chosen a different approach.
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Yes. A law need not address every aspect of a problem at once. Legislatures may take one step at a time so long as the chosen classification is rationally related to a legitimate purpose.
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…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…