Opinion ID: 1895144
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is there State Action?

Text: Without state action, there can be no valid claim of unconstitutionality. See Rendell-Baker v. Kohn, 457 U.S. 830, 837, 102 S.Ct. 2764, 2769, 73 L.Ed.2d 418 (1982). This Court has previously implied that the Association acts under state authority. Mississippi High School Activities Assoc. v. Farris, 501 So.2d 393, 396 (Miss. 1987) (Court addressed due process claim against the Association). See also Laurenzo v. MHSAA, 662 F.2d 1117, 1119-20 (5th Cir.1981) (application of the Association's regulations is state interference with student participation in sports); Walsh v. Louisiana High School Activities Assoc., 616 F.2d 152, 156 (5th Cir.1980) (LHSAA's conduct constitutes state action for purposes of the 14th Amendment), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1124, 101 S.Ct. 939, 67 L.Ed.2d 109 (1981). The power to regulate athletic programs is conferred upon the local school boards by the Mississippi Legislature. Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-301(q) (1972). The school boards, in turn, delegated this authority to the Association. It follows that the Association's actions, flowing as they do from statutory authority, are, as this Court and others have implicitly or explicitly found, state action for the purpose of constitutional analysis. [3]