Griswold et al. v. Connecticut

Decided June 7, 1965. William Orville Douglas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 496 · 381 U.S. 479 (1965) · Cited 4,329 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 7–2.

“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.

• Meyer v. Nebraska · 262 U.S. 390 (1923)
• Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of NM · 353 U.S. 232 (1957)
• Poe v. Ullman · 367 U.S. 497 (1961)
• Pointer v. Texas · 380 U.S. 400 (1965)
• Rochin v. California · 342 U.S. 165 (1952)
• Lochner v. New York · 198 U.S. 45 (1905)
• Adamson v. California · 332 U.S. 46 (1947)
• Gideon v. Wainwright · 372 U.S. 335 (1963)
• National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button · 371 U.S. 415 (1963)
• National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama Ex Rel. Patterson · 357 U.S. 449 (1958)
• Bolling v. Sharpe · 347 U.S. 497 (1954)
• Palko v. Connecticut · 302 U.S. 319 (1937)
• Aptheker v. Secretary of State · 378 U.S. 500 (1964)
• Adkins v. Children's Hospital of Columbia · 261 U.S. 525 (1923)
• Skinner v. Oklahoma Ex Rel. Williamson · 316 U.S. 535 (1942)
• Ferguson v. Skrupa · 372 U.S. 726 (1963)
• Snyder v. Massachusetts · 291 U.S. 97 (1934)
• Prince v. Massachusetts · 321 U.S. 158 (1944)
• Shelton v. Tucker · 364 U.S. 479 (1960)
• United Public Workers of America v. Mitchell · 330 U.S. 75 (1947)
• Bates v. City of Little Rock · 361 U.S. 516 (1960)
• Kent v. Dulles · 357 U.S. 116 (1958)
• New York Times Co. v. Sullivan · 376 U.S. 254 (1964)
• Boyd v. United States · 116 U.S. 616 (1886)
• Yick Wo v. Hopkins · 118 U.S. 356 (1886)
• Reynolds v. Sims · 377 U.S. 533 (1964)
• Malloy v. Hogan · 378 U.S. 1 (1964)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Calder v. Bull · 3 U.S. 386 (1798)
• Schneider v. State (Town of Irvington) · 308 U.S. 147 (1939)

Cited by

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

• Eisenstadt v. Baird · 405 U.S. 438 (1972)
• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
• Obergefell v. Hodges · 576 U.S. 644 (2015)
• Carey v. Population Services International · 431 U.S. 678 (1977)
• Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey · 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
• Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 476 U.S. 747 (1986)
• Moore v. City of East Cleveland · 431 U.S. 494 (1977)
• Whalen v. Roe · 429 U.S. 589 (1977)
• Doe v. Bolton · 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
• Bowers v. Hardwick · 478 U.S. 186 (1986)
• Roe v. Wade · 410 U.S. 113 (1973)
• Lawrence v. Texas · 539 U.S. 558 (2003)
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization · 597 U.S. 215 (2022)
• Washington v. Glucksberg · 521 U.S. 702 (1997)
• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• Singleton v. Wulff · 428 U.S. 106 (1976)
• Zablocki v. Redhail · 434 U.S. 374 (1978)
• Kerry v. Din · 576 U.S. 86 (2015)
• H. L. v. Matheson · 450 U.S. 398 (1981)
• Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton · 413 U.S. 49 (1973)
• Smith v. Organization of Foster Families for Equality & Reform · 431 U.S. 816 (1977)
• Hodgson v. Minnesota · 497 U.S. 417 (1990)
• Warden, Maryland Penitentiary v. Hayden · 387 U.S. 294 (1967)
• Time, Inc. v. Hill · 385 U.S. 374 (1967)
• Michael H. v. Gerald D. · 491 U.S. 110 (1989)
• Board of Ed., Island Trees Union Free School Dist. No. 26 v. Pico · 457 U.S. 853 (1982)
• Palmer v. Thompson · 403 U.S. 217 (1971)
• Schmerber v. California · 384 U.S. 757 (1966)
• Craig v. Boren · 429 U.S. 190 (1976)
• Roberts v. United States Jaycees · 468 U.S. 609 (1984)

Official text

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

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).