New Orleans v. Dukes
United States Supreme Court
427 U.S. 297 (1976)
Relevant factsFree
New Orleans (defendant) enacted an ordinance banning pushcart food vendors from operating in the French Quarter, except for vendors who had continuously operated there for at least eight years. Dukes (plaintiff), a vendor who did not meet the eight-year threshold, challenged the ordinance as an unconstitutional denial of equal protection.
IssueFree
Whether a city ordinance that bans new pushcart food vendors from a historic district while grandfathering vendors who have operated there for at least eight years is rationally related to a legitimate government interest.