State v. Outzen , 840 Utah Adv. Rep. 35 ( 2017 )


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  •                  This opinion is subject to revision before final
    publication in the Pacific Reporter
    
    2017 UT 30
    IN THE
    SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF UTAH
    STATE OF UTAH,
    Appellee,
    v.
    WYATT JEFF OUTZEN,
    Appellant.
    No. 20150953
    Filed June 7, 2017
    On Direct Appeal
    Fourth District, Provo
    The Honorable Claudia Laycock
    No. 145400088
    Attorneys:
    Jeff Buhman, Lance E. Bastian, Provo, for appellee
    Michael J. Petro, Dallas Young, Provo, for appellant
    CHIEF JUSTICE DURRANT authored the opinion of the Court, in which
    ASSOCIATE CHIEF JUSTICE LEE, JUSTICE DURHAM, JUSTICE HIMONAS, and
    JUSTICE PEARCE joined.
    CHIEF JUSTICE DURRANT, opinion of the Court:
    Introduction
    ¶ 1 Hours after ingesting marijuana, Wyatt Jeff Outzen fell
    asleep at the wheel and caused a two-car collision. Sobriety tests
    revealed that Mr. Outzen was not too impaired to drive, but a blood
    test revealed that he had the primary metabolite of marijuana in his
    system. He was charged under Utah Code section 41-6a-517 for
    operating a motor vehicle with a metabolite of a controlled substance
    in his body. After entering a guilty plea in justice court, Mr. Outzen
    appealed his conviction to the district court. There, he moved to
    dismiss, arguing that the plain language of section 41-6a-517 requires
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    a showing of impairment and that the statute violates the Eighth and
    Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution and the
    uniform operation of laws provision of the Utah Constitution. The
    district court denied his motion and Mr. Outzen once again entered a
    guilty plea, reserving his right to appeal. We hold that the plain
    language of section 41-6a-517 does not require impairment and that
    the statute does not violate the federal or state constitutions.
    Accordingly, we affirm.
    Background
    ¶ 2 Mr. Outzen fell asleep while driving and struck the back of
    another vehicle. Utah Highway Patrol (UHP) troopers responded
    and “saw and smelled signs of marijuana in [Mr.] Outzen’s vehicle.”
    They searched his car, but did not find any contraband. The troopers
    observed a lack of convergence in Mr. Outzen’s eyes and green
    mucus covering his tongue, which they recognized as signs that he
    had recently smoked marijuana. Mr. Outzen agreed to let the
    troopers administer field sobriety tests, which indicated that he “was
    not too impaired to drive.” Mr. Outzen told the troopers that “he
    smokes marijuana, consumes it about every other day, and the last
    time that he consumed it was about 7 p.m. the night before.” He was
    taken to a UHP office, where he submitted breath, urine, and blood
    samples. His blood tested positive for the primary metabolite of
    marijuana.
    ¶ 3 Mr. Outzen was charged under Utah Code section 41-6a-517
    with one count of driving with a metabolite of a controlled substance
    in the body, a class B misdemeanor. 1 The case was filed in Utah
    County Justice Court, where Mr. Outzen entered a guilty plea. He
    then appealed to the Fourth Judicial District Court for a trial de
    novo.
    ¶ 4 In the district court, Mr. Outzen filed a motion to dismiss,
    arguing that the plain language of section 41-6a-517 requires a
    showing of impairment and that the statute violates provisions of
    both the federal and state constitutions. The court denied his motion
    and set the case for a bench trial. Mr. Outzen chose to enter a plea of
    _____________________________________________________________
    1 The State also charged Mr. Outzen with one count of following
    too closely, a class C misdemeanor, but later dismissed the charge.
    See UTAH CODE § 41-6a-711(1)(a).
    2
    Cite as: 
    2017 UT 30
                               Opinion of the Court
    no contest, but reserved his right to appeal, which he timely did. 2 We
    have jurisdiction under Utah Code section 78A-3-102(3)(b). 3
    Standard of Review
    ¶ 5 Mr. Outzen raises three issues on appeal. First, he asks us to
    determine whether the district court correctly interpreted Utah Code
    section 41-6a-517. That court concluded that the statute criminalized
    operating or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle with
    any measurable amount of a controlled substance, including a
    metabolite, in one’s body, regardless of the substance’s potential to
    cause impairment. “We review questions of statutory interpretation
    for correctness, affording no deference to the district court’s legal
    conclusions.” 4
    ¶ 6 Mr. Outzen then asks us to determine whether the district
    court correctly concluded that section 41-6a-517 does not violate the
    Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States
    Constitution and article I, section 24 of the Utah Constitution.
    “Whether a statute is constitutional presents a question of law. We
    presume the statute is constitutional, and we ‘resolve any reasonable
    doubts in favor of constitutionality.’” 5
    _____________________________________________________________
    2 Mr. Outzen filed his appeal with the court of appeals. The court
    of appeals then certified the case to this court.
    3 During oral argument, we raised the question of whether we
    have jurisdiction over this case. Under Utah Code section 78A-7-
    118(8), after an appeal from justice court to the district court, “[t]he
    decision of the district court is final and may not be appealed unless
    the district court rules on the constitutionality of a statute or
    ordinance.” Mr. Outzen raises issues of the correct interpretation of
    Utah Code section 41-6a-517 and the constitutionality of that statute
    under both the federal and state constitutions. Because the issue of
    constitutionality presupposes the interpretation of the statute, we
    conclude that we have jurisdiction to reach both issues on appeal.
    4 Marion Energy, Inc. v. KFJ Ranch P’ship, 
    2011 UT 50
    , ¶ 12, 
    267 P.3d 863
    (citation omitted).
    5   Brown v. Cox, 
    2017 UT 3
    , ¶ 11, 
    387 P.3d 1040
    (citations omitted).
    3
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    Analysis
    I. The Plain Language of Utah Code Section 41-6a-517 Does Not
    Require Impairment
    ¶ 7 Utah Code section 41-6a-517 provides that “[i]n cases not
    amounting to a violation of Section 41-6a-502 [the DUI statute], a
    person may not operate or be in actual physical control of a motor
    vehicle within this state if the person has any measurable controlled
    substance or metabolite of a controlled substance in the person’s
    body.” The district court read the statute to “unambiguously
    criminalize[] ‘operat[ing] or be[ing] in actual physical control of a
    motor vehicle’ with ‘any measurable controlled substance or
    metabolite of a controlled substance in the person’s body,’ regardless
    of the metabolite’s potential, or not, to cause impairment.” The court
    specifically addressed the phrase “in cases not amounting to,”
    reasoning that the phrase distinguishes section 41-6a-517 from
    section 41-6a-502, the DUI statute, by “negat[ing] any requirement to
    show actual or potential impairment.”
    ¶ 8 Mr. Outzen argues that the district court’s “construction of
    that clause is incorrect because the only reasonable reading of the
    ‘[i]n cases not amounting to’ clause is that the scope of prohibited
    conduct under [section 41-6a-517] is necessarily similar to the scope
    of prohibited conduct under the DUI statute.” He further argues that
    to not read the two statutes as similar in scope renders the phrase “in
    cases not amounting to” superfluous in section 41-6a-517. He reasons
    that the DUI statute “acknowledges that impairment occurs by
    degrees, and that a person only violates that statute when his or her
    impairment rises to a level that the person is incapable of safe
    operation of a vehicle. Prior to the point of incapacity of safe
    operation of a vehicle, the person has not violated the statute.” 6 He
    concludes that, “by its reference to the DUI statute,” section 41-6a-
    517 “sets the scope of prohibited conduct . . . on the same spectrum
    _____________________________________________________________
    6  This is not entirely true. The DUI statute criminalizes driving
    under three conditions, only one of which mentions “render[ing] the
    person incapable of safely operating a vehicle.” See UTAH CODE § 41-
    6a-502(1)(b). The other conditions are (1) “sufficient alcohol in the
    person’s body that a subsequent chemical test shows that the person
    has a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .08 grams or greater at
    the time of the test” and (2) “a blood or breath alcohol concentration
    of .08 grams or greater at the time of operation or actual physical
    control.” 
    Id. § 41-6a-502(1)(a),
    (c).
    4
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    2017 UT 30
                                Opinion of the Court
    identified in the DUI statute”—in other words, section 41-6a-517 also
    requires a showing of impairment.
    ¶ 9 “[A] statute’s unambiguous language ‘may not be
    interpreted to contradict its plain meaning.’” 7 “[W]e do not view
    individual words and subsections in isolation; instead, our statutory
    interpretation ‘requires that each part or section be construed in
    connection with every other part or section so as to produce a
    harmonious whole.’” 8 We “interpret[] statutes to give meaning to all
    parts, and avoid[] rendering portions of the statute superfluous.” 9
    Finally, when we can determine the meaning of the statute from the
    plain language alone, “‘no other interpretive tools are needed,’ and
    our task of statutory construction is typically at an end.” 10
    ¶ 10 Mr. Outzen relies on section 41-6a-517’s reference to the DUI
    statute to incorporate language of impairment into section 41-6a-517.
    But there is no language of impairment in section 41-6a-517 itself.
    The conduct prohibited by section 41-6a-517 is “operat[ing] or
    be[ing] in actual physical control of a motor vehicle” with “any
    measurable controlled substance or metabolite of a controlled
    substance” in the person’s body. 11 Employing the phrase “[i]n cases
    not amounting to a violation of [the DUI statute]” does not limit the
    meaning of “any measurable controlled substance or metabolite of a
    controlled substance.” A person who has introduced a measurable
    controlled substance into his or her system and then chooses to drive
    is in violation of section 41-6a-517. If the level of the measurable
    controlled substance results in the individual being “incapable of
    safely operating a vehicle,” he or she is also then in violation of the
    DUI statute. In other words, to the extent that violation of section 41-
    6a-517 rises to a level of impairment, the “not amounting to” clause
    allows an individual to be charged under either statute—it does not
    limit the applicability of section 41-6a-517.
    _____________________________________________________________
    7   State v. Burns, 
    2000 UT 56
    , ¶ 25, 
    4 P.3d 795
    (citation omitted).
    8 Penunuri v. Sundance Partners, Ltd., 
    2013 UT 22
    , ¶ 15, 
    301 P.3d 984
    (citation omitted).
    9   LKL Assocs., Inc. v. Farley, 
    2004 UT 51
    , ¶ 7, 
    94 P.3d 279
    .
    10 Bagley v. Bagley, 
    2016 UT 48
    , ¶ 10, 
    387 P.3d 1000
    (citation
    omitted).
    11   UTAH CODE § 41-6a-517(2).
    5
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    ¶ 11 Mr. Outzen’s reading of section 41-6a-517 is in conflict with
    a key term of the statute. The statute criminalizes driving with “any
    measurable controlled substance or metabolite of a controlled
    substance in the person’s body.” (Emphasis added.) To limit the
    measurable controlled substances and metabolites to those that cause
    impairment would reduce the scope of the statute to less than
    “any”—a result that is incompatible with the legislature’s use of the
    word any.
    ¶ 12 The language of section 41-6a-517 is clear. An individual
    violates the statute when he or she “operate[s] or [is] in actual
    physical control of a motor vehicle” with “any measurable controlled
    substance or metabolite of a controlled substance in the person’s
    body.” Because the plain language of section 41-6a-517 is
    unambiguous, “‘no other interpretive tools are needed,’ and our task
    of statutory construction is . . . at an end.” 12
    II. Utah Code Section 41-6a-517 Does Not Violate the
    United States Constitution
    ¶ 13 Mr. Outzen argues that Utah Code section 41-6a-517 violates
    the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States
    Constitution because it constitutes a status offense under Robinson v.
    California. 13 In Robinson, the United States Supreme Court held that a
    statute was unconstitutional because the statute made it a criminal
    offense to “be addicted to the use of narcotics.” 14 The Court stated
    that criminalizing an addiction did not punish “a person for the use
    of narcotics,” but “[r]ather, . . . makes the ‘status’ of narcotic
    addiction a criminal offense, for which the offender may be
    prosecuted ‘at any time before he reforms.’”15 The Court recognized
    that “narcotic addiction is an illness . . . . which may be contracted
    innocently or involuntarily,” and that to “imprison[] a person thus
    afflicted as a criminal . . . inflicts a cruel and unusual punishment” in
    violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. 16
    _____________________________________________________________
    12   Bagley, 
    2016 UT 48
    , ¶ 10 (citation omitted).
    13   
    370 U.S. 660
    (1962).
    14   
    Id. at 660.
       15   
    Id. at 666.
       16   
    Id. at 667.
    6
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    2017 UT 30
                               Opinion of the Court
    ¶ 14 In State v. Robinson, 17 this court distinguished a Utah statute
    from the one at issue in Robinson v. California. The Utah statute, a
    provision of the Utah Controlled Substances Act, “makes it unlawful
    for any person to ‘knowingly and intentionally’ have ‘any
    measurable amount of a controlled substance in [his or her] body.’”18
    The defendant in State v. Robinson argued that, like the statute found
    unconstitutional in Robinson v. California, Utah’s “measurable
    amount provision criminalizes ‘simply the status of having been
    affected by a controlled substance at some previous time.’” 19 We
    distinguished Robinson v. California’s holding—that a state cannot
    make “the ‘status’ of narcotic addiction a criminal offense” 20—from
    the function of Utah’s measurable amount provision, which
    “criminalizes the act of using or being under the influence of a
    controlled substance in Utah.” 21 We further held that “[a]lthough the
    ‘use’ of a controlled substance clearly begins at ingestion, that ‘use’
    continues until the user is no longer under the influence of the
    drug.” 22
    ¶ 15 Mr. Outzen contends that there is a critical factual
    distinction between Robinson v. California and State v. Robinson: the
    defendant in State v. Robinson had “active controlled substances in
    his system,” while the defendant in Robinson v. California had “only
    inactive metabolites in his system.” 23 He argues that this distinction
    _____________________________________________________________
    17   
    2011 UT 30
    , 
    254 P.3d 183
    .
    18 
    Id. ¶ 8
    (alteration in original) (quoting UTAH CODE §§ 58-37-
    8(2)(a)(i), 58-37-2(1)(ii), 58-37-2(1)(c) (Supp. 2010)).
    19   
    Id. ¶ 29.
       20   
    Id. ¶ 30
    (quoting 
    Robinson, 370 U.S. at 666
    ).
    21   
    Id. ¶ 30
    .
    22   
    Id. 23 Mr.
    Outzen’s assertion mischaracterizes the facts in Robinson v.
    California. There is no mention of metabolites in the defendant’s
    system in that case. Officers testified that they had observed physical
    signs of narcotics use on the defendant’s arms and that the
    defendant “had admitted to the occasional use of 
    narcotics.” 370 U.S. at 661
    . The defendant denied “he had ever used narcotics or been
    addicted to their use. He explained the marks on his arms as
    resulting from an allergic condition contracted during his military
    service.” 
    Id. at 662.
    7
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    drives the analysis in both cases and extends to his own, reasoning
    that he “did not have controlled substances in his system; he only
    had indicators that he previously had controlled substances in his
    system.” But the dispositive issue in both cases—and here—was not
    the presence of active or inactive controlled substances, but the
    difference between a status and an act. In attempting to categorize
    his offense as a status, Mr. Outzen ignores the action required by
    section 41-6a-517: he was operating or was in actual physical control
    of a motor vehicle while he had the controlled substance’s metabolite
    in his body. Section 41-6a-517 does not criminalize the status of being
    addicted to—or even the status of having previously used—a
    controlled substance. It also does not criminalize simply having a
    metabolite of a controlled substance in the body. It criminalizes the
    act of driving while “any measurable” amount or “metabolite” of the
    controlled substance is in the driver’s body. Accordingly, we hold
    that section 41-6a-517 is not a status offense and therefore does not
    violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States
    Constitution.
    III. Utah Code Section 41-6a-517 Does Not Violate the Uniform
    Operation of Laws Provision of the Utah Constitution
    ¶ 16 Article I, section 24 of the Utah Constitution provides, “All
    laws of a general nature shall have uniform operation.” “The concept
    underlying this provision is ‘the settled concern of the law that the
    legislature be restrained from the fundamentally unfair practice’ of
    classifying persons in such a manner that those who are similarly
    situated with respect to the purpose of a law are treated differently
    by that law, to the detriment of some of those so classified.” 24 “A
    statute is not uniform in its operation, and is thus unconstitutional, if
    (1) ‘the statute creates any classifications,’ (2) those classifications
    ‘impose any disparate treatment on persons similarly situated,’ and
    (3) ‘the legislature had [no] reasonable objective that warrants the
    disparity.’” 25 In considering the third requirement—the legislature’s
    reasonable objectives underlying the disparate treatment—we must
    determine “the level of scrutiny that must be applied to the statutory
    scheme.” 26 “Where a legislative enactment implicates a ‘fundamental
    _____________________________________________________________
    24Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Utah v. State, 
    779 P.2d 634
    , 637 (Utah
    1989) (citation omitted).
    25 State v. Roberts, 
    2015 UT 24
    , ¶ 41, 
    345 P.3d 1226
    (alteration in
    original) (citation omitted).
    26   State v. Drej, 
    2010 UT 35
    , ¶ 34, 
    233 P.3d 476
    .
    8
    Cite as: 
    2017 UT 30
                               Opinion of the Court
    or critical right’ or creates classifications which are ‘considered
    impermissible or suspect in the abstract,’ we apply a heightened
    degree of scrutiny.” 27 But where “there is no suspect classification at
    work and no apparent fundamental right” at issue, we apply a
    “rational basis” review. 28
    ¶ 17 Mr. Outzen contends that Utah Code section 41-6a-517
    violates the uniform operation of laws provision because it “creates
    disparate treatment between persons similarly situated” and “there
    is no rational nexus between the legislative objective . . . and the
    chosen classification.” The State responds that while “the statute
    imposes ‘disparate treatment’ on the two groups,” those groups are
    not similarly situated. The State also argues that “the legislature had
    various ‘reasonable objective[s] that warrant the disparity’ in their
    treatment.”
    ¶ 18 To begin the analysis, we must first consider whether Utah
    Code section 41-6a-517 creates any classifications. As previously
    stated, an individual violates the statute when he or she “operate[s]
    or [is] in actual physical control of a motor vehicle” with “any
    measurable controlled substance or metabolite of a controlled
    substance” in his or her body. Subsection (3) of the statute provides
    three affirmative defenses—the controlled substance was
    “involuntarily ingested by the accused,” “prescribed by a
    practitioner for use by the accused,” or “otherwise legally ingested.”
    These affirmative defenses classify individuals into two groups:
    those who illegally ingest a controlled substance and then operate or
    are in actual physical control of a motor vehicle and those who
    legally or involuntarily ingest a controlled substance and then
    operate or are in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.
    ¶ 19 Having determined that section 41-6a-517 creates
    classifications, we next inquire as to whether those classifications
    impose any disparate treatment on persons similarly situated.
    “When persons are similarly situated, it is unconstitutional to single
    out one person or group of persons from among a larger class on the
    basis of a tenuous justification that has little or no merit.” 29 To
    determine if individuals are similarly situated, we have frequently
    _____________________________________________________________
    27Gallivan v. Walker, 
    2002 UT 89
    , ¶ 40, 
    54 P.3d 1069
    (citation
    omitted).
    28   State v. Canton, 
    2013 UT 44
    , ¶ 40, 
    308 P.3d 517
    .
    29   Malan v. Lewis, 
    693 P.2d 661
    , 671 (Utah 1984).
    9
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    looked to the context created by the challenged statute and within
    which the individuals acted. 30 Section 41-6a-517 is addressed to those
    who drive after ingesting a controlled substance. Among this group,
    some chose to voluntarily and illegally ingest a controlled substance,
    while some did so legally or involuntarily. It is therefore reasonable
    to conclude that the two groups are not similarly situated. But
    “[e]ven if some distinctions could be made among groups within a
    classification, . . . we may still affirm the validity of the statute where
    ‘on the whole, . . . it appear[s] to be a reasonable attempt to achieve
    the legitimate government ends.’” 31
    ¶ 20 In order to determine whether section 41-6a-517 is a
    reasonable attempt to achieve legitimate government ends, we must
    consider “whether the legislature’s classification is reasonably
    related to its legitimate objectives.” 32 Because Mr. Outzen concedes
    that “there is no suspect classification at work and no apparent
    fundamental right” at issue, we review the legislature’s objective
    under “rational basis” review.33 This third step requires us to
    consider “(1) whether the classification is reasonable, (2) whether the
    _____________________________________________________________
    30 For example, in State v. Roberts, we held that Utah Code section
    76-5a-3 (2009), which “imposes criminal and civil liability on
    individuals who ‘knowingly produce[], possess[], or possess[] with
    intent to distribute’ or ‘intentionally distribute[] or view[] child
    pornography,” creates a classification by “exempt[ing] from liability
    law enforcement officers who encounter child pornography as part
    of a criminal investigation and employees of certain organizations
    acting in good faith and within the scope of their employment to
    report or prevent child pornography.” 
    2015 UT 24
    , ¶ 42 (quoting
    UTAH CODE § 76-5a-3 (2009)). But we held that the classes created by
    the statute were not similarly situated because “the key distinction
    between the individuals in each classification is the context within
    which they view, possess, or distribute child pornography.” 
    Id. ¶ 43.
    See also Slater v. Salt Lake City, 
    206 P.2d 153
    , 163 (Utah 1949) (“It may
    be admitted that under certain circumstances, [individuals in one
    class] are a different class than [individuals in another]. However,
    under the circumstances of this case, we conclude they are similarly
    situated.”).
    31 ABCO Enters. v. Utah State Tax Comm’n, 
    2009 UT 36
    , ¶ 24, 
    211 P.3d 382
    (fourth alteration in original) (citation omitted).
    32   State v. Angilau, 
    2011 UT 3
    , ¶ 31, 
    245 P.3d 745
    (citation omitted).
    33   Canton, 
    2013 UT 44
    , ¶ 40.
    10
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                               Opinion of the Court
    objectives of the legislative action are legitimate, and (3) whether
    there is a reasonable relationship between the classification and the
    legislative purpose.” 34
    ¶ 21 Mr. Outzen argues that the purpose of Utah Code section
    41-6a-517 is “not to deter illegal drug use,” but to “protect[] citizens
    on or near the roadways of the state from drivers operating vehicles
    while under the influence of impairing substances.” This may well
    be one of the statute’s purposes, but a statute is seldom enacted for a
    single purpose. And “we judge such enactments on the basis of
    reasonable or actual legislative purposes.” 35
    ¶ 22 In order to assess the legislative purposes of a statute, we
    begin with the language of the statute. 36 And here, the language of
    section 41-6a-517 allows us to infer that both protection of the
    public’s safety and deterrence of illegal drug use are among its
    purposes. We may also look to the legislative history to support our
    conclusions, although we note that “we are not limited to
    considering those purposes that can be plainly shown to have been
    held by some or all legislators.” 37 When section 41-6a-517 was
    proposed to the state legislature, its sponsor articulated concerns
    that motivated the law’s creation. 38 He emphasized the need for a
    prosecutable offense of driving while under the influence of illicit
    drugs and the impossibility of establishing a level of impairment
    comparable to the DUI limit.
    ¶ 23 “Broad deference is given to the legislature when assessing
    ‘the reasonableness of its classifications and their relationship to
    legitimate legislative purposes.’” 39 The legislature has chosen to
    provide an affirmative defense for individuals who operate a motor
    vehicle after legally or involuntarily ingesting a controlled
    _____________________________________________________________
    34   State v. Robinson, 
    2011 UT 30
    , ¶ 22, 
    254 P.3d 183
    .
    35  Blue Cross & Blue 
    Shield, 779 P.2d at 637
    (emphasis added)
    (citation omitted).
    36 Bagley v. Bagley, 
    2016 UT 48
    , ¶ 10, 
    387 P.3d 1000
    (stating that
    “[t]he best evidence of the legislature’s intent is the plain language of
    the statute itself” (alteration in original) (citation omitted)).
    37   Blue Cross & Blue 
    Shield, 779 P.2d at 641
    .
    38 Utah Senate Floor Debates, S.B. 101, 50th Leg., 1994 Gen. Sess.
    (Feb. 14, 1994) (statements of Sen. Craig Peterson).
    39   Robinson, 
    2011 UT 30
    , ¶ 23 (citation omitted).
    11
    STATE v. OUTZEN
    Opinion of the Court
    substance. 40 “[W]e are not limited to considering those purposes that
    can be plainly shown to have been held by some or all legislators.
    We will sustain a classification if we can reasonably conceive of facts
    which would justify the distinctions.” 41 We conclude that the
    classification is reasonable, that the legislative objectives are
    reasonable, and that there is a reasonable relationship between the
    classification and the legislative purposes. The legislature
    determined, “or could have reasonably determined,” 42 that the
    classification created by Utah Code section 41-6a-517 would deter
    illegal drug use and maintain public safety.43 The classification
    deters illegal drug use by making it a chargeable offense to
    voluntarily and illegally ingest a controlled substance and then
    operate a motor vehicle. It also promotes public safety by
    discouraging individuals who have ingested controlled substances
    from operating motor vehicles and creating potentially dangerous
    driving conditions. While the legislature may have considered other
    purposes in enacting section 41-6a-517, these are sufficient under a
    rational basis review to hold that the statute does not violate the
    uniform operation of laws provision of the Utah Constitution.44
    Conclusion
    ¶ 24 A person violates Utah Code section 41-6a-517 if he or she
    operates or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle with any
    measurable amount or metabolite of a controlled substance in his or
    her body. We hold that the plain language of this statute does not
    require an additional finding of impairment. We further hold that
    the statute does not create a status offense in violation of the Eighth
    and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, and
    it does not violate the uniform operation of laws provision of the
    Utah Constitution. We accordingly affirm the judgment of the
    district court.
    _____________________________________________________________
    40   See UTAH CODE § 41-6a-517(3).
    41   Robinson, 
    2011 UT 30
    , ¶ 24 (citation omitted).
    42   
    Id. 43 Supra
    ¶ 22.
    44See DIRECTV v. Utah State Tax Comm’n, 
    2015 UT 93
    , ¶ 53, 
    364 P.3d 1036
    .
    12
    

Document Info

Docket Number: Case No. 20150953

Citation Numbers: 2017 UT 30, 408 P.3d 334, 840 Utah Adv. Rep. 35, 2017 WL 2483018, 2017 Utah LEXIS 85

Judges: Durrant, Lee, Durham, Himonas, Pearce

Filed Date: 6/7/2017

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 11/13/2024

Authorities (16)

Gallivan v. Walker , 455 Utah Adv. Rep. 3 ( 2002 )

Slater v. Salt Lake City , 115 Utah 476 ( 1949 )

Penunuri v. Sundance , 2013 UT 22 ( 2013 )

State v. Drej , 656 Utah Adv. Rep. 31 ( 2010 )

Marion Energy, Inc. v. KFJ Ranch Partnership , 2011 Utah LEXIS 102 ( 2011 )

State v. Angilau , 673 Utah Adv. Rep. 15 ( 2011 )

Brown v. Cox , 830 Utah Adv. Rep. 12 ( 2017 )

State v. Burns , 398 Utah Adv. Rep. 32 ( 2000 )

Blue Cross and Blue Shield v. State , 113 Utah Adv. Rep. 15 ( 1989 )

State v. Robinson , 684 Utah Adv. Rep. 34 ( 2011 )

LKL Associates, Inc. v. Farley , 502 Utah Adv. Rep. 14 ( 2004 )

ABCO Enterprises v. Utah State Tax Commission , 632 Utah Adv. Rep. 18 ( 2009 )

Bagley v. Bagley , 2016 Utah LEXIS 130 ( 2016 )

Robinson v. California , 82 S. Ct. 1417 ( 1962 )

State v. Canton , 2013 UT 44 ( 2013 )

State v. Roberts , 2015 Utah LEXIS 69 ( 2015 )

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