Court Opinion

ID: 9855451
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:25:05.106879+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:35:46.761841
License: Public Domain

BAKES, Chief Justice,
concurring specially:
The majority opinion concludes that there was no violation of the equal protection clause under any of the three standards for equal protection analysis: (1) “strict scrutiny,” (2) “means-focus,” and (3) “rational basis.” I agree that applying any of those three standards in this case would result in affirming the district court’s decision.
I write to point out only that I don’t believe that the complaint in this case properly raises an equal protection argument and thus there is really no need to analyze this case under any of the three standards set out above. The decisions of the United States Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals make it clear that when a state statute or state action is attacked on the ground that it denies equal protection under the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution, the courts must make a three-part analysis to determine (1) whether the law treats the plaintiff differently than others, (2) whether the plaintiff is “similarly situated” to those others, and only then determine whether (3) the different treatment is justified under the appropriate applicable standard — “strict scrutiny,” “means-focus,” or “rational basis.” Rinaldi v. Yeager, 384 U.S. 305, 86 S.Ct. 1497, 16 L.Ed.2d 577 (1966); Desris v. City of Kenosha, Wisconsin, 687 F.2d 1117 (7th Cir.1982). Miles’ complaint has not properly raised an equal protection claim. While the Court’s opinion points, ante at 637, 778 P.2d 759, that Miles is “similarly situated” to the other ratepayers because he is one, the agreement between the State of Idaho and Idaho Power Company does not treat Miles any differently than it does any other ratepayers. Accordingly, in my view, there is no equal protection issue raised in this case and it is unnecessary to make either a “strict scrutiny,” “means-focus,” or a “rational basis” analysis.