Rita L. Saenz, Director, California Department of Social Services, et al. v. Brenda Roe and Anna Doe Etc.

Decided May 17, 1999. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 98-97 · 526 U.S. 489 (1999) · Cited 527 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.

• Shapiro v. Thompson · 394 U.S. 618 (1969)
• Zobel v. Williams · 457 U.S. 55 (1982)
• Martinez Ex Rel. Morales v. Bynum · 461 U.S. 321 (1983)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa County · 415 U.S. 250 (1974)
• Edwards v. California · 314 U.S. 160 (1941)
• Vlandis v. Kline · 412 U.S. 441 (1973)
• United States v. Guest · 383 U.S. 745 (1966)
• Dunn v. Blumstein · 405 U.S. 330 (1972)
• Sosna v. Iowa · 419 U.S. 393 (1975)
• Williams v. Rhodes · 393 U.S. 23 (1968)
• United States v. Jackson · 390 U.S. 570 (1968)
• Paul v. Virginia · 75 U.S. 168 (1869)
• Toomer v. Witsell · 334 U.S. 385 (1948)
• Attorney General of New York v. Soto-Lopez · 476 U.S. 898 (1986)
• Crandall v. Nevada · 73 U.S. 35 (1868)
• Hicklin v. Orbeck · 437 U.S. 518 (1978)
• Hooper v. Bernalillo County Assessor · 472 U.S. 612 (1985)
• Moore v. City of East Cleveland · 431 U.S. 494 (1977)
• Doe v. Bolton · 410 U.S. 179 (1973)
• Ex Parte Virginia · 100 U.S. 339 (1880)
• Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan · 458 U.S. 718 (1982)
• Katzenbach v. Morgan · 384 U.S. 641 (1966)
• Madden v. Kentucky Ex Rel. Commissioner · 309 U.S. 83 (1940)
• Baldwin v. G. A. F. Seelig, Inc. · 294 U.S. 511 (1935)
• U. S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton · 514 U.S. 779 (1995)
• Rosario v. Rockefeller · 410 U.S. 752 (1973)
• Townsend v. Swank · 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
• Baldwin v. Fish and Game Comm'n of Mont. · 436 U.S. 371 (1978)
• Califano v. Goldfarb · 430 U.S. 199 (1977)

Cited by

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

• McDonald v. City of Chicago · 561 U.S. 742 (2010)
• District of Columbia v. Heller · 554 U.S. 570 (2008)
• Troxel v. Granville · 530 U.S. 57 (2000)
• Alden v. Maine · 527 U.S. 706 (1999)
• Bush v. Gore · 531 U.S. 98 (2000)
• Cameron v. EMW Women's Surgical Center, P. S. C. · 595 U.S. 267 (2022)

Official text

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

Explore from here

John Paul Stevens’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

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).