1. Privacy, Birth Control, Sexual Orientation, Sex Discrimination

2. US v. Virginia  1996  The Virginia Military Institute had a proud tradition of being an all male place of education. The US brought a suit against them claiming it was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment right to equal protection.  SC: ruled that it was unconstitutional b/c they didn’t provide good justification for being male- only.

3. Roe v. Wade  1973  A woman used the name Jane Roe to challenge the law that forbid her from getting an abortion.  SC: ruled in favor of Roe saying that it was her right to privacy and under due process to get an abortion.

4. Romer v. Evans  1996  Colorado created an Amendment to their Cons’t that prohibited the creation of law that protected people from discrimination based on their sexual orientations and practices.  SC: ruled that the Amendment was unconstitutional b/c it violated the equal protection clause

5. Planned Parenthood v. Casey  1992  Penn. updated its laws so that women had to wait 24 hours after informed consent, minors require the consent of 1 parent, & wives must show that she has informed her husband.  Were they regulations against Roe v. Wade?  SC: Roe v. Wade still stands but states have the ability to put in extra regulations if they were not considered an “undue burden”

6. Lawrence v. Texas  2003  The police entered the home of Lawrence under the suspicion of a weapon disturbance to find him engaging in a sex act w/ another man. They were both arrested b/c certain acts are illegal between people of the same gender in Texas.  SC: the gov’t doesn’t have the right to intervene in the sexual actions of two peoples of the same gender if they are being committed consensually

7. Griswold v. Connecticut  1965  Griswold gave out information through Planned Parenthood to parented women about birth control methods. She was arrested b/c a law in CT prohibited ppl from giving out info and treatment to married ppl about birth control.  SC: ruled in favor of Griswold & set up a new constitutional right to privacy in marital relations