The zone of interests is a legal concept used to determine whether a particular plaintiff has standing to bring a lawsuit. It refers to the range of interests or concerns that a law or regulation, whether a constitutional provision or legislative statute, is intended to protect. For a plaintiff to have standing, their interests must fall within this range. When challenging a state action based on a law, the plaintiff’s injury must fall under the zone of interests protected by that law.
See, e.g., Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154 (1997).
See also: controversy.
[Last updated in July of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]