Bellotti, Attorney General of Massachusetts, et al. v. Baird et al.

Decided July 1, 1976. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 75-73 · 428 U.S. 132 (1976) · Cited 609 times

Holding

The District Court should have abstained from deciding the constitutional issue and should have certified to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court appropriate questions concerning the meaning of the 1974 statute and the procedure it imposes.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Railroad Comm'n of Tex. v. Pullman Co. · 312 U.S. 496 (1941)
• Lake Carriers' Assn. v. MacMullan · 406 U.S. 498 (1972)
• In Re GAULT · 387 U.S. 1 (1967)
• England v. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners · 375 U.S. 411 (1964)
• Kusper v. Pontikes · 414 U.S. 51 (1973)
• Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States · 424 U.S. 800 (1976)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Wisconsin v. Constantineau · 400 U.S. 433 (1971)
• Zwickler v. Koota · 389 U.S. 241 (1967)
• Baggett v. Bullitt · 377 U.S. 360 (1964)
• Lehman Brothers v. Schein · 416 U.S. 386 (1974)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
• Bellotti v. Baird · 443 U.S. 622 (1979)
• Hodgson v. Minnesota · 497 U.S. 417 (1990)
• Maher v. Roe · 432 U.S. 464 (1977)
• City of Houston v. Hill · 482 U.S. 451 (1987)
• Carey v. Population Services International · 431 U.S. 678 (1977)
• Elkins v. Moreno · 435 U.S. 647 (1978)
• Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman · 581 U.S. 37 (2017)
• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
• Arizonans for Official English v. Arizona · 520 U.S. 43 (1997)
• H. L. v. Matheson · 450 U.S. 398 (1981)
• Mckesson v. Doe · 592 U.S. 1 (2020)
• Babbitt v. United Farm Workers National Union · 442 U.S. 289 (1979)
• Virginia v. American Booksellers Assn., Inc. · 484 U.S. 383 (1988)
• Colautti v. Franklin · 439 U.S. 379 (1979)
• Brockett v. Spokane Arcades, Inc. · 472 U.S. 491 (1985)
• Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Ohio Bureau of Employment Services v. Hodory · 431 U.S. 471 (1977)
• Beal v. Doe · 432 U.S. 438 (1977)
• Mills v. Rogers · 457 U.S. 291 (1982)
• Planned Parenthood Assn. of Kansas City, Mo., Inc. v. Ashcroft · 462 U.S. 476 (1983)
• Poelker v. Doe · 432 U.S. 519 (1977)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1976). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).