In re Doe

Griswold v. Connecticut

381 U.S. 479 (1965)

Struck down a Connecticut statute criminalizing the use of contraceptives by married couples. Justice Douglas, writing for the majority, held that the Bill of Rights contains penumbras and emanations creating a constitutional right to privacy. This right to marital privacy became the foundation for subsequent decisions including Roe v. Wade.

Loving v. Virginia

388 U.S. 1 (1967)

Unanimously struck down Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute banning interracial marriage as a violation of both the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Warren wrote that the freedom to marry resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state based on racial classifications.

Roe v. Wade

410 U.S. 113 (1973)

Held that a woman's right to choose an abortion is protected by the constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Established a trimester framework governing state regulation of abortion. One of the most controversial decisions in Court history, it was overruled by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey

505 U.S. 833 (1992)

Reaffirmed Roe v. Wade's core holding that the Constitution protects a woman's right to an abortion before viability, but replaced the trimester framework with an 'undue burden' standard. States may regulate abortion so long as they do not place a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion. Overruled by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022).

Obergefell v. Hodges

576 U.S. 644 (2015)

Held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires all states to grant same-sex marriages and recognize same-sex marriages validly performed in other states. Justice Kennedy wrote that the right to marry is a fundamental liberty, and denying same-sex couples that right violates both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.