Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County

Petitioner

Michael M.

Respondent

Superior Court of Sonoma County

Petitioner's Claim

That the California "statutory rape" statute unlawfully discriminated on the basis of gender.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Gregory F. Jilka

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Sandy R. Kriegler

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Antonin Scalia

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

23 March 1981

Decision

The Court upheld the statute.

Related Cases

• Kahn v. Shevin, 416 U.S. 351 (1974).
• Schlesinger v. Ballard, 419 U.S. 498 (1975).
• Craig v. Boren, 429 U.S. 190 (1976).

Sources

Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics--1996. Washington, DC: U.S. Government, 1997.

Further Readings

• Baer, Judith. Equality Under the Constitution: Reclaiming the Fourteenth Amendment. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1983.
• Kanowitz, Leo. Equal Rights: The Male Stake. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1981.
• Kirp, David L., Yudof, Mark G., and Strong Franks, Marlene. Gender Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.