Ambach v. Norwick (1978)
- Docket
- 76-808
- Decided
- 1978-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the New York statute violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: No. In a 5-4 opinion, the Court reversed the District Court and held that states could be justified in barring aliens from certain positions in government. Justice Lewis F. Powell's majority opinion asserted the state's interest in charging teachers with "an obligation to promote civic virtues and understanding in their classes, regardless of the subject taught." The statute furthered this interest, in that it affected only non-citizens who did not want to seek citizenship. This interest satisfied the "rational relationship" required by _Foley v. Connelie