Brown v. Smith

235 Cal. Rptr. 3d 218, 24 Cal. App. 5th 1135 (2018)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Brown v. Smith

California Court of Appeal
235 Cal. Rptr. 3d 218, 24 Cal. App. 5th 1135 (2018)

Facts

Sharon Brown and other parents (plaintiffs) brought a lawsuit in response to Senate Bill No. 277 (the bill), which amended California’s compulsory vaccination law to remove an exemption for parents and children with religious objections to vaccinations. A legislative report noted that vaccination rates decreased when exemptions based on belief were allowed. The vaccination mandate required that all children receive vaccines prior to attending public or private schools, day care centers, and the like. Brown sued Karen Smith (defendant) in her official capacity as the director of the State Department of Public Health. Brown’s 38-page complaint argued that vaccines harm and kill children and that this new bill amounted to a dictatorial mandate requiring parents to sacrifice their kids. Brown alleged that the bill violated California’s constitution by abridging rights to freely exercise religion, to get an education, to have equal protection of the laws, and to offer informed consent before being required to participate in medical experiments. Brown argued the bill was not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest and that other less restrictive options for vaccinations were available along with tools such as quarantines in the event of outbreaks of disease. Brown argued that the bill supported discrimination on account of vaccination status. Brown regarded all immunizations as medical experiments. Upon Smith’s demurrer, a trial court dismissed Brown’s complaint, and Brown appealed. On appeal, Brown added additional classifications to her equal-protection claim.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Grimes, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 816,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership