United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Idaho Dept. of Employment v. Smith, 434 U.S. 100 (1977)

Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith

No. 76-1291

Decided December 5, 1977

434 U.S. 100

Syllabus

Idaho statute providing that "no person shall be deemed to be unemployed while attending a regular established school excluding night school" held not to violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by denying unemployment benefits to otherwise eligible persons who attend school during the day. It was rational for the Idaho Legislature to conclude that daytime employment is far more plentiful than nighttime work and, consequently, that attending school in the daytime imposes a greater restriction upon obtaining full-time employment than does attending night school. Moreover, the classification, although imperfect, serves as a predictable and convenient means for distinguishing between those who are likely to be students primarily and part-time workers only secondarily and those who are primarily full-time workers and students only secondarily.

Certiorari granted; 98 Idaho 43, 557 P.2d 637, reversed.