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Mathews v. Lucas
Supreme Court of the United States (1976) | 49 L. Ed. 2d 651; 96 S. Ct. 2755; 427 U.S. 495; 1976 U.S. LEXIS 79
TL;DR: The Supreme Court upheld a Social Security Act provision requiring certain illegitimate children to prove dependency on a deceased parent to receive benefits, while presuming dependency for legitimate children, finding the classification did not violate the Fifth Amendment's equal protection component.
Legal Significance: This case established that classifications based on illegitimacy are not "suspect" and do not trigger strict scrutiny. Instead, they are subject to a form of heightened rational basis review, requiring a substantial relationship to a legitimate governmental interest.