Opinion ID: 796144
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Plaintiff's prudential standing: Zone of Interest Test

Text: 33 Once Plaintiff alleges an injury-in-fact that is fairly traceable to the actions of Defendant, it must show that it has met the prudential standing requirements. It is uncontested that Plaintiff is not asserting a generalized grievance, nor is it attempting to assert the rights of a third party. Plaintiff must also show that the interests it seeks to vindicate with this suit fall within the zone of interest of the constitutional guarantees being invoked. 34 Plaintiff's due process claim essentially alleges that the bidding regulations denied the organization a protected interest without the opportunity to be heard. One of the crucial roles of the Due Process Clause is to protect the rights of notice and opportunity to be heard. Wisconsin v. Constantineau, 400 U.S. 433, 437, 91 S.Ct. 507, 27 L.Ed.2d 515 (1971). Accordingly, Plaintiff's due process claim seeks to vindicate an interest protected by the Due Process Clause and meets the zone of interest test. 1 Likewise, Plaintiff's equal protection claim falls within the zone of interest of the Equal Protection Clause. Plaintiff's equal protection claim alleges that Defendant treated it differently from Soccer City without a rational basis for its actions. The Equal Protection Clause has been construed as the guardian of the right of similarly situated persons to be treated equally. See Vacco v. Quill, 521 U.S. 793, 799, 117 S.Ct. 2293, 138 L.Ed.2d 834 (1997). Therefore, Plaintiff's equal protection claim seeks to vindicate an interest protected by the Equal Protection Clause and meets the zone of interest test. 35 Thus, Plaintiff has standing to assert its due process and equal protection claims because Plaintiff alleged an injury-in-fact fairly traceable to Defendant's allegedly illegal conduct and the interests Plaintiff seeks to protect fall within the zones of interest of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, respectively. 36