Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona v. Lawall

180 F.3d 1022, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4452, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5723, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11824, 1999 WL 371565
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 9, 1999
Docket98-15862
StatusPublished
Cited by49 cases

This text of 180 F.3d 1022 (Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona v. Lawall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona v. Lawall, 180 F.3d 1022, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4452, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5723, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11824, 1999 WL 371565 (9th Cir. 1999).

Opinion

TASHIMA, Circuit Judge:

We must decide whether the Arizona parental consent statute, which contains an indeterminate judicial bypass provision, and an open-ended medical emergency provision is constitutional. We hold that it is not. Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona and its corporate chapter, Arizona Women’s Clinic, Inc., Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona, Inc., and Frederic N. Stimmell, MD, individually and on behalf of his minor patients (collectively “Planned Parenthood”) challenges the facial validity of the statute. The district court permanently enjoined the statute’s enforcement, holding that the statute was unconstitutional due to the lack of specific time limits in its judicial bypass provision and the vagueness of its medical emergency provision. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.

I.

In 1989, the Arizona legislature adopted A.R.S. § 36-2152, a parental consent law. The district court held that the 1989 statute was unconstitutionally vague and entered a permanent injunction. See Planned Parenthood v. Neely, 804 F.Supp. 1210 (D.Ariz.1992). The State did not appeal.

In 1996, the Arizona Legislature repealed A.R.S. § 36-2152 (1989), and enacted a new parental consent statute, A.R.S. § 36-2152 (1996), effective July 20, 1996.1 The statute contains a judicial bypass provision and a medical emergency bypass provision, both of which provide general time frames for expedited proceedings, but no specific time requirements. See A.R.S. §§ 36-2152(D), (E), and (F).

Planned Parenthood filed a motion, which the district court granted, for leave to file a supplemental complaint in the 1989 case, challenging the constitutionality of the new statute. The district court again enjoined enforcement of Arizona’s parental consent law. See Planned Parenthood v. Neely, 942 F.Supp. 1578 (D.Ariz.1996). We reversed without reaching the merits, holding that it was error for the district court to grant leave to file a supplemental complaint in that closed action. See Planned Parenthood v. Neely, 130 F.3d 400 (9th Cir.1997). We remand[1025]*1025ed the case and directed the district court to dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction. See id. at 401.

Planned Parenthood then filed a new action challenging the facial validity of § 36-2152. The district court issued a permanent injunction against enforcement of the statute. Defendants (collectively the “State”) appeal.

II. Standard for Reviewing Facial Challenges to Abortion Statutes

We must first resolve the threshold issue of the proper standard for reviewing facial challenges to statutes regulating abortion.2 The State argues for application of the test set out in United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 107 S.Ct. 2095, 95 L.Ed.2d 697 (1987), while Planned Parenthood advocates application of the analysis in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 112 S.Ct. 2791, 120 L.Ed.2d 674 (1992). This is an open question in our circuit.

In Salerno, the Supreme Court explained that:

A facial challenge to a legislative act is, of course, the most difficult challenge to mount successfully, since the challenger must establish that no set of circumstances exists under which the. Act would be valid. The fact that [an act] might operate unconstitutionally under some conceivable set of circumstances is insufficient to render it wholly invalid, since we have not recognized an “over-breadth” doctrine outside the limited context of the First Amendment.

Salerno, 481 U.S. at 745, 107 S.Ct. 2095. Thus, under Salerno, a facial challenge to a statute will fail if the statute has any constitutional application. The Supreme Court has previously applied Salerno’s “no set of circumstances” test in a few pre-Casey cases involving abortion statutes. See Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173, 183, 111 S.Ct. 1759, 114 L.Ed.2d 233 (1991); Ohio v. Akron Ctr. for Reproductive Health, 497 U.S. 502, 514, 110 S.Ct. 2972, 111 L.Ed.2d 405 (1990) (plurality opinion) (“Akron II”).

In Casey, however, the Court held that an abortion law is unconstitutional on its face if, “in a large fraction of the cases in which [the statute] is relevant, it will operate as a substantial obstacle to a woman’s choice to undergo an abortion.” Casey, 505 U.S. at 895, 112 S.Ct. 2791. Although Casey did not expressly overrule Salerno, it is inconsistent with Salerno. Under Salerno, no factual showing of unconstitutional applications can render a law unconstitutional if it has any constitutional application. Under Casey, a factual showing of unconstitutional application in “a large fraction of the cases” where the law applies can , render a law unconstitutional, even if it has some constitutional applications.

There is much debate over the meaning of Casey. Although the Court has yet to address the conflict between Casey and Salerno in a majority decision, members of the Court have offered their opinions in memoranda denying petitions for certiorari and - applications for stays and injunctions pending appeals.3 In a [1026]*1026memorandum respecting the denial of the petition for certiorari in Janklow v. Planned Parenthood, 517 U.S. 1174, 116 S.Ct. 1582, 134 L.Ed.2d 679 (1996), Justice Stevens opined that certiorari was unnecessary because Salerno’s “no set of circumstances” rule was dictum and unsupported by law. Justice Stevens cited Casey and non-abortion cases as support for his proposition that “Salerno’s rigid and unwise dictum has been properly ignored in subsequent cases even outside the abortion context.” See id. at 1175 & n. 1, 116 S.Ct. 1582.

Justices O’Connor and Souter have agreed with Justice Stevens. In Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Schafer, 507 U.S. 1013, 113 S.Ct. 1668, 123 L.Ed.2d 285 (1993), Justice O’Connor, joined by Justice Souter, explained the Casey decision:

In striking down Pennsylvania’s spousal-notice provision, we did not require petitioners to show that the provision would be invalid in all circumstances. Rather, we made clear that a law restricting abortions constitutes an undue burden, and hence is invalid, if, “in a large fraction of the cases in which [the law] is relevant, it will operate as a substantial obstacle to a woman’s choice to undergo an abortion.”

Id. at 1014, 113 S.Ct.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Isaacson v. Mayes
D. Arizona, 2021
Almerico v. Denney
378 F. Supp. 3d 920 (D. Idaho, 2019)
S.A.J. v. State
195 So. 3d 327 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2015)
Paul Isaacson v. Tom Horne
716 F.3d 1213 (Ninth Circuit, 2013)
Hernandez v. Lynch
167 P.3d 1264 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2007)
Mayfield v. United States
504 F. Supp. 2d 1023 (D. Oregon, 2007)
Sanchez v. City of Modesto
51 Cal. Rptr. 3d 821 (California Court of Appeal, 2006)
Cincinnati Women's Services, Inc. v. Robert Taft
468 F.3d 361 (Sixth Circuit, 2006)
Cincinnati Women's Services, Inc. v. Taft
468 F.3d 361 (Sixth Circuit, 2006)
Nova Health Systems v. Edmondson
460 F.3d 1295 (Tenth Circuit, 2006)
Clinic for Women, Inc. v. Brizzi
837 N.E.2d 973 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2005)
Nova Health Systems v. Edmondson
373 F. Supp. 2d 1234 (N.D. Oklahoma, 2005)
Richmond Medical Center for Women v. Hicks
409 F.3d 619 (Fourth Circuit, 2005)
Planned Parenthood of Idaho, Inc. v. Wasden
376 F.3d 908 (Ninth Circuit, 2004)
Tucson Woman's Clinic v. Eden
379 F.3d 531 (Ninth Circuit, 2004)
Planned Parenthood v. AG
D. New Hampshire, 2003
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England v. Heed
296 F. Supp. 2d 59 (D. New Hampshire, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 F.3d 1022, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4452, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5723, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11824, 1999 WL 371565, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/planned-parenthood-of-southern-arizona-v-lawall-ca9-1999.