Louisiana Private Investigator Licensing Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The third primary level of scrutiny developed by the US Supreme Court is the Rational Relationship Test, which is often referred to as "rational basis review." This standard is used when assessing laws or government actions that do not involve fundamental rights or suspect classifications like race or nationality. Under this level of scrutiny, the government only needs to show that the law or policy in question is rationally related to a legitimate government interest. This is a relatively lenient standard that allows for a wide range of government actions as long as there is some conceivable justification for the law.

In contrast, strict scrutiny is applied to laws that discriminate based on suspect classifications or infringe upon fundamental rights, requiring the government to demonstrate that the law is necessary to achieve a compelling governmental interest and that it is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. Intermediate scrutiny is applied to cases involving gender or legitimate non-suspect classifications, requiring that the law is substantially related to an important governmental interest.

Thus, the Rational Relationship Test serves as a baseline level of review, making it an essential concept in understanding how courts analyze legislative and governmental actions concerning individual rights and classifications.