Bowers v. Hardwick
Significance, Powell's Swing Vote Changes The Outcome, Domestic Partnership Laws, Further Readings
Appellant
Michael J. Bowers, Attorney General of Georgia
Appellee
Michael Hardwick
Appellant's Claim
That a state statute making sodomy a criminal offense does not violate the constitutionally protected right to privacy.
Chief Lawyer for Appellant
Michael E. Hobs
Chief Lawyer for Appellee
Laurence Tribe
Justices for the Court
Warren E. Burger, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, Byron R. White (writing for the Court)
Justices Dissenting
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens
Place
Washington, D.C.
Date of Decision
30 June 1986
Decision
The Supreme Court upheld the Georgia law, reasoning that there is no fundamental right granted to homosexuals to engage in consensual sodomy.
Related Cases
- Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965).
- Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
Sources
Model Domestic Partnership, http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/dpmodel.html.
The National Journal of Sexual Orientation Law, http://sunsite.unc.edu/gaylaw/issue1/becker.html. New York Times, 1 August 1993.
Additional topics
- Bowsher v. Synar - Significance, The Court Refines The Meaning Of Separation Of Powers, The Balanced Budget And Emergency Deficit Control Act
- Booth v. Maryland - Significance, Victim Impact Statements, Further Readings
- Bowers v. Hardwick - Significance
- Bowers v. Hardwick - Further Readings
- Bowers v. Hardwick - Powell's Swing Vote Changes The Outcome
- Bowers v. Hardwick - Domestic Partnership Laws
- Other Free Encyclopedias
Law Library - American Law and Legal InformationNotable Trials and Court Cases - 1981 to 1988