(3) granted the class partial summary judgment on an equal protection claim as to release.

This is a classic voting rights equal protection claim.

On appeal, defendants argued that Ballot Measure 2 foreclosed plaintiffs' equal protection claims.

Stevens also criticized the majority for not addressing Davis' equal protection claim.

The plaintiffs asked for summary judgment based on due process and equal protection claims.

I agree with Justice Stevens that petitions have not presented a substantial equal protection claim.

As part of their equal protection claim, the plaintiffs argued that the court should evaluate distinctions based on sexual orientation using the heightened scrutiny standard.

This was expected to improve the efficiency of decision-making by providing more accountable assessments of asylum seekers' protection claims.

Because "Congress has put forward a non-animus based explanation for its decision to pass the Act", the Court rejected the equal protection claims.

Thus the Supreme Court's actual decision never hinged on the equal protection claims.