Don Stenberg, Attorney General of Nebraska, et al. v. Leroy Carhart

Decided June 28, 2000. Stephen Gerald Breyer delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 99-830 · 530 U.S. 914 (2000) · Cited 528 times

Holding

Nebraska’s statute criminalizing the performance of “partial birth abortion” violates the Federal Constitution, as interpreted in Casey and Roe.

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 5–4.

“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.

• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc. · 462 U.S. 416 (1983)
• Frisby v. Schultz · 487 U.S. 474 (1988)
• Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
• Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth · 428 U.S. 52 (1976)
• Meese v. Keene · 481 U.S. 465 (1987)
• Kansas v. Hendricks · 521 U.S. 346 (1997)
• Jacobson v. Massachusetts · 197 U.S. 11 (1905)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Doe v. Bolton · 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
• Colautti v. Franklin · 439 U.S. 379 (1979)
• Crandon v. United States · 494 U.S. 152 (1990)
• Broadrick v. Oklahoma · 413 U.S. 601 (1973)
• Mazurek v. Armstrong · 520 U.S. 968 (1997)
• Bishop v. Wood · 426 U.S. 341 (1976)
• City of Houston v. Hill · 482 U.S. 451 (1987)
• Gustafson v. Alloyd Co. · 513 U.S. 561 (1995)
• Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville · 422 U.S. 205 (1975)
• Virginia v. American Booksellers Assn., Inc. · 484 U.S. 383 (1988)
• Brockett v. Spokane Arcades, Inc. · 472 U.S. 491 (1985)
• Jones v. United States · 463 U.S. 354 (1983)
• United States v. Morton · 467 U.S. 822 (1984)
• Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Lenroot · 323 U.S. 490 (1945)
• Almendarez-Torres v. United States · 523 U.S. 224 (1998)
• Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael · 526 U.S. 137 (1999)
• Pierce v. Underwood · 487 U.S. 552 (1988)
• Federal Deposit Insurance v. Meyer · 510 U.S. 471 (1994)
• Washington v. Davis · 426 U.S. 229 (1976)
• Washington v. Glucksberg · 521 U.S. 702 (1997)

Cited by

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

• Gonzales v. Carhart · 550 U.S. 124 (2007)
• Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New Eng. · 546 U.S. 320 (2006)
• Bond v. United States · 572 U.S. 844 (2014)
• Gamble v. United States · 587 U.S. 678 (2019)
• Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky · 585 U.S. 1 (2018)
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization · 597 U.S. 215 (2022)
• Tennessee v. Lane · 541 U.S. 509 (2004)
• Sabri v. United States · 541 U.S. 600 (2004)
• Burgess v. United States · 553 U.S. 124 (2008)
• United States v. Skrmetti · 605 U.S. 495 (2025)

Official text

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

Explore from here

Stephen Gerald Breyer’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2000). 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).