Opinion ID: 3054267
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Oregon Lacks Standing Under The Parens Patriae

Text: Doctrine As detailed above, Oregon’s only allegations of injury are generalized grievances about the probable consequences to legal services providers within Oregon as a result of conflicting state and federal policy goals. Oregon does not have standing to bring suit on behalf of these private parties, nor has Oregon proven it has standing under the parens patriae doctrine, because it has shown no independent quasisovereign interest. 132 OREGON v. LEGAL SERVICES CORP. Oregon claims a quasi-sovereign interest in regulating access to its civil justice system, alleging that this interest has been threatened by the LSC regulations. Looking beyond the fact that such an interest has never before been recognized, this court cannot accept such a claim as “an interest apart from the interests of particular private parties.” Snapp, 458 U.S. at 607. The state’s interest in the “health and well-being — both physical and economic — of its residents in general” is not at issue here, nor does Oregon allege that it is being “discriminatorily denied its rightful status within the federal system.” Id. Moreover, we can see no effective way federal courts could ever limit parens patriae standing were a state allowed to bring suit on behalf of its citizens solely by virtue of its interest that its citizens benefit from voluntary federal grants. Allowing such cases would make the parens patriae doctrine “too vague to survive the standing requirements of Art. III.” Id. at 602. We likewise reject Oregon’s attempt to link itself to Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment by using the argument that, like the State in Bowen, Oregon’s sovereignty has been diminished as a result of federal action. In Bowen, unlike here, the State was a party to a contract with Congress and Congress acted to breach the contract, resulting in actual injury. 477 U.S. 41, 50 (1986). There was therefore no question of standing, as is raised here.