Opinion ID: 805657
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State Declaration of Rights Claim

Text: KG newly argues that it is entitled to greater protection under the state constitution than the federal. Before the district -28- court, KG initially argued that the standard for equal protection analysis was the same under the federal constitution and under the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. KG later submitted a supplemental filing regarding Finch v. Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, 959 N.E.2d 970 (Mass. 2012), arguing that the decision further demonstrates that the Act violates the Equal Protection Clause and Declaration of Rights. While that opinion was issued after KG's motion for a preliminary injunction was filed, the legal principle for which KG cites the case was decided by the Supreme Judicial Court in an earlier opinion in the same case, before KG's motion was filed. See Finch v. Commonwealth Health Ins. Connector Auth., 946 N.E.2d 1262, 1276 (Mass. 2011) (Where the Federal government has made a binding decision regarding the treatment of aliens, that decision will be reviewed according to the standards applicable to the Federal government even though the immediate actor may be a State government. In comparison, where the State acts on its own authority, it cannot shelter behind the existence of Congress's plenary authority, and its actions are subject to strict scrutiny review. (citation omitted)). KG's failure to timely raise the argument that a different standard applies to its state-law claim leads to the conclusion that the state constitutional claim adds nothing to KG's claim in this court. See Nat'l Amusements, Inc. v. Town of Dedham, -29- 43 F.3d 731, 748-49 (1st Cir. 1995) (holding that where a party treats federal and state constitutional provisions identically before the district court, the party has waived any argument that the provisions are distinct). We affirm dismissal of the state-law claim without prejudice, particularly because the claim raises a novel or complex issue of State law. 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(1).