53. What standard should the court apply in reviewing the constitutionality of this law?

A is correct. U.S. Supreme Court precedent establishes that an individual's decision to marry is a fundamental right, and therefore, laws that unduly burden a decision to marry trigger strict judicial scrutiny. This strict scrutiny standard obligates the state to prove that the law is necessary to serve a compelling government interest. Here, the law burdens the right to marry by requiring that a person who has been divorced may not remarry unless he or she is current on all child support payments. Because this law burdens the fundamental right to marry, the court will apply the strict scrutiny standard and require the state to prove that the law is necessary to serve a compelling state interest.

B is incorrect. This answer states the wrong standard of review. The strict scrutiny standard places a burden on the state that is greater than showing that the law is substantially related to an important government interest. As stated above, it obligates the state to prove that the law is necessary to serve a compelling government interest.

C is incorrect. First, it improperly allocates the burden of proof to the woman instead of the state. As explained above, when a law interferes with a fundamental right such as marriage, the court will apply a strict scrutiny standard of review. Second, the standard of review articulated in the question is incorrect. The court will determine whether the law is necessary to serve a compelling government interest, not whether the law serves an important public interest.

D is incorrect. This answer improperly allocates the burden of proof to the woman and not the state. This strict scrutiny standard places the burden of proof on the state, not on the woman, and obligates the state to prove that the law is necessary to serve a compelling government interest.