University of Michigan Law School
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
HOME
ABOUT
FOR TEACHERS
SEARCH
QUESTIONS
RECENT ADDITIONS
feedback/
suggestions
log in/
register
Case Profile
new search
page permalink
Case Name
Foley v. Connelie
IM-NY-0016
Docket / Court
No. 75-Civ. 4548 (MP) ( S.D.N.Y. )
State/Territory
New York
Case Type(s)
Immigration and/or the Border
Case Summary
In 1975, an Irish alien and lawful permanent resident ("LPR") in the U.S. brought a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to challenge a New York state law, Section 215(3) of the Executive Law of the State of New York, that prohibited aliens from ...
read more >
In 1975, an Irish alien and lawful permanent resident ("LPR") in the U.S. brought a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to challenge a New York state law, Section 215(3) of the Executive Law of the State of New York, that prohibited aliens from employment as New York state troopers. The statute provided: "No person shall be appointed to the New York state police force unless he shall be a citizen of the United States." Plaintiff alleged that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. He sought declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as class certification.
The parties stipulated that the case would proceed as a class action and that a three-judgment panel be convened to rule on the constitutional of the state law in question. They further agreed that the named plaintiff, Edmund Foley would be allowed to take the competitive police examination on September 20, 1975, with the stipulation that the results would not be used unless the court ordered it.
On July 8, 1976, the three-judge court (Judge Werker) upheld the state law as constitutional, finding that "the exclusion of noncitizens from service as state policemen is necessary to protect some substantial state interest." Foley v. Connelie, 419 F.Supp. 889, 899 (S.D.N.Y. 1976). Plaintiff appealed and the U.S. Supreme Court noted probably jurisdiction over the matter.
On March 22, 1978, the Supreme Court (Justice Burger) affirmed, holding that the challenged New York statute did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Foley v. Connelie, 98 S.Ct. 1067 (1978).
Erica Woodruff - 08/08/2007
compress summary
- click to show/hide ALL -
Issues and Causes of Action
click to show/hide detail
Issues
General
Public benefits (includes, e.g., in-state tuition, govt. jobs)
Immigration/Border
Constitutional rights
Employment
Status/Classification
Plaintiff Type
Private Plaintiff
Causes of Action
42 U.S.C. ยง 1983
Case Details
click to show/hide detail
Defendant(s)
Superintendent and Director of Personnel of the New York State Police
Plaintiff Description
Irish citizen and Lawful Permanent Resident who, on behalf of others with similar status, challenged state law prohibiting noncitizens from being employed by the New York state police.
Class action status sought
Yes
Class action status granted
Yes
Filed Pro Se
No
Prevailing Party
Defendant
Public Int. Lawyer
No
Nature of Relief
None
Source of Relief
None
Filed
1975
Case Closing Year
1978
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
click to show/hide detail
The Oyez Project, Foley v. Connelie, 435 U.S. 291 (1978).
www.oyez.org
Date: Mar. 22, 1978
By: Oyez Project (IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law)
[ Detail ]
[ External Link ]
Documents
click to show/hide detail
Court
Docket(s)
No docket sheet currently in the collection
General Documents
S.D.N.Y.
07/08/1976
Opinion
(419 F.Supp. 889)
IM-NY-0016-0001.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
LEXIS
|
Detail
Source: Google Scholar
U.S. Supreme Court
03/28/1977
Order
(430 U.S. 944)
IM-NY-0016-0003.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
LEXIS
|
Detail
Source: Westlaw
U.S. Supreme Court
03/22/1978
Opinion
(435 U.S. 291)
IM-NY-0016-0002.pdf
|
WESTLAW
|
LEXIS
|
Detail
Source: Westlaw
People
click to show/hide detail
show all people docs
Judges
Blackmun, Harry Andrew
(Eighth Circuit, SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Brennan, William Joseph Jr.
(SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Burger, Warren Earl
(D.C. Circuit, SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Mansfield, Walter Roe
(S.D.N.Y., Second Circuit)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0001
Marshall, Thurgood
(Second Circuit, SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Pollack, Milton
(S.D.N.Y.)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0001
Powell, Lewis Franklin Jr.
(SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Rehnquist, William Hubbs
(SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Stevens, John Paul
(Seventh Circuit, SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Stewart, Potter
(Sixth Circuit, SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Werker, Henry Frederick
(S.D.N.Y.)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0001
White, Byron Raymond
(SCOTUS)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0002
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Weiss, Jonathan A.
(New York)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0001 | IM-NY-0016-0002
Defendant's Lawyers
Gordon, Judith A.
(New York)
show/hide docs
IM-NY-0016-0001 | IM-NY-0016-0002
- click to show/hide ALL -
new search
page permalink
- top of page -
Contact
Report an Error
Privacy Policy