Taft et al. v. Branstad, 754 Fed. Appx. 503 (8th Cir. 2019)
Nature of Case: Appellants were all individuals who were civilly committed in Iowa. Appellants brought suit, alleging — inter alia — that the application of the statute civil commitment statute and operation of the program violated equal protection as no women were being civilly committed, nor were there any facilities to house women so committed. District Court dismissed Appellants complaints, and Appellants sought review of the gender discrimination claim on appeal.
Holding: 8th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. The Court relied on a 2011 District Court order and adopted its reasoning in affirming — holding that the disparate impact was rationally related to a legitimate state interest and that, if a woman were to be committed, the terms of Iowa’s act would apply to her.