Find Court Cases > Cleburne, TX v. Cleburne Living Center

Cleburne, TX v. Cleburne Living Center

Case Date: 03/18/1985
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

In 1980, Cleburne Living Center, Inc. submitted a permit application to operate a home for the mentally retarded. The city council of Cleburne voted to deny the special use permit, acting pursuant to a municipal zoning ordinance.

Question 

Did the denial of the permit violate the Equal Protection rights of Cleburne Living Center, Inc. and its potential residents?

Argument Cleburne, TX v. Cleburne Living Center - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3Cleburne, TX v. Cleburne Living Center - Oral ReargumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 9 votes for Cleburne Living Center, 0 vote(s) against Legal provision: Equal Protection

In a unanimous judgment, the Court held that the denial of the special use permit to Cleburne Living Centers, Inc. was premised on an irrational prejudice against the mentally retarded, and hence unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. While the Court declined to grant the mentally retarded the status of a "quasi-suspect class," it nevertheless found that the "rational relation" test for legislative action provided sufficient protection against invidious discrimination.