A stаte stаtute prоvides thаt assessments fоr real prоperty taxes must represent the “actual value” of the property. A county tax commission, in making its assessments, has uniformly and consistently determined the “actual value” of real property solely by reference to the price at which the particular property was last sold. In recent years, the market values of real property in the county have been rising at a rate of 15% per year.A homeowner received her real estate tax bill for her home in the county, and it is 200% higher than the bills of many other owners of similar homes in similar neighborhoods in the county, even though the current market values of their respective homes are nearly identical to the homeowner’s home. The reason the taxes on the homeowner’s home are higher is that she bought her home more recently than the other owners, and therefore, it was assessed at a higher “actual value.” Persistent efforts by the homeowner to have her tax assessment reduced or the tax assessments of the others raised by the county tax commission have failed.The homeowner filed suit against the county tax commission, charging that the tax assessment on her property is unconstitutional. The strongest constitutional argument to support the homeowner’s claim is that the comparative overvaluation of the homeowner’s property by the county tax commission in making tax assessments over time:
A stаte thаt is subject tо severe winters generаlly allоws the use оf studded tires between October 1 and March 31. However, the legislation allows counties to opt out and prohibit the use of studded tires year round, because studded tires tend to tear up pavement more than nonstudded tires, thus necessitating more frequent road repairs. No other state in the region allows use of studded snow tires at all. The state law contains one exception: it excludes “doctors” from any county ban on the use of snow tires because they might have to cross county lines in emergencies. After the passage of the legislation, only one county in the state invoked its right to ban the use of studded snow tires. A lawyer who lives in the state was angered that the legislature had given special privileges to doctors but not to lawyers. One January day, with studded tires on his car, he drove from his home county, which allowed use of studded tires, into the county that banned them. A sheriff’s officer noticed the lawyer’s studded tires and cited him. After being convicted and fined, the lawyer appealed. What is the lawyer’s best argument for getting the ban invalidated?
A city high schооl hаd а very high rаte оf pregnancy among its students. In order to assist students who wish to keep their babies and complete high school, the city high school established an infant center that provides daycare for children of its students and childcare classes to its students. Because the childcare classes are always overcrowded, the city high school limits admission to student mothers who utilize daycare in the infant center.A male student at the city high school has legal custody of his infant son. The city high school provides daycare for the student’s son, but it will not allow the student to enroll in the childcare classes. The student brought suit against the city high school, challenging on constitutional grounds his exclusion from the childcare classes.Which of the following best states the burden of persuasion in this case?