Dennis C. Vacco, Attorney General of New York, et al. v. Timothy E. Quill et al.
Decided June 26, 1997. William Hubbs Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 95-1858 · 521 U.S. 793 (1997) · Cited 210 times
Holding
New York’s prohibition on assisting suicide does not violate the Equal Protection Clause.
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.
Majority · 4
- William Hubbs Rehnquist · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Clarence Thomas
Concurring · 5
- David Hackett Souter · filed a concurring opinion
- John Paul Stevens · filed a concurring opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg · filed a concurring opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor · filed a concurring opinion
- Stephen Gerald Breyer · filed a concurring opinion
“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.
- Cruzan Ex Rel. Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health · 497 U.S. 261 (1990)
- San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez · 411 U.S. 1 (1973)
- Personnel Administrator of Mass. v. Feeney · 442 U.S. 256 (1979)
- Morissette v. United States · 342 U.S. 246 (1952)
- Plyler v. Doe · 457 U.S. 202 (1982)
- Heller v. Doe Ex Rel. Doe · 509 U.S. 312 (1993)
- Romer v. Evans · 517 U.S. 620 (1996)
- United States v. Bailey · 444 U.S. 394 (1980)
- New York City Transit Authority v. Beazer · 440 U.S. 568 (1979)
- Tigner v. Texas · 310 U.S. 141 (1940)
- Garger v. New Jersey · 429 U.S. 922 (1976)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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William Hubbs Rehnquist’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1997). 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).