-
Kent v. Dulles
This case was argued on April 10, 1958, and decided on June 16, 1958. Rockwell Kent applied for and was refused a passport to visit England. The Passport Office Director told Kent that in order for a passport to be issued, a hearing would be necessary. After an appeal from consecutive adverse rulings in both district and appellate court, the Supreme Court granted Kent certiorari. -
Roe v. Wade
This case was argued on December 13, 1971, then reargued on October 11, 1972, with a final decision on January 22, 1973. Jane Roe (a fictional name used in court) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas. She challenged a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. She felt it was unconstitutionally vague and abridged her right of personal privacy. -
Stenberg v. Cahart
This case was first argued on April 25, 2000, and decided on June 28, 2000. A Nebraska law prohibited any “partial-birth abortion” unless the procedure was necessary to save the mother's life. Leroy Carhart, who is a Nebraska physician that performs abortions in a clinical setting. He believed that the law was unconstitutionally vague and placed a burden on himself and the female patients seeking abortions. The District Court held it unconstitutional. -
Sell v. United States
This case was argued on March 3, 2003, and was decided on June 16, 2003. The federal government charged Charles Sell with submitting fictitious insurance claims. A Federal Judge ordered his hospitalization to determine whether he would attain the capacity to allow his trial to proceed. The Magistrate authorized forced administration of antipsychotic drugs. The Court of Appeals affirmed that the Federal Government’s interest in obtaining an adjudication of his guilt or innocence. -
Gonzales v. Carhart
This case was argued on November 8, 2006, and decided on April 18, 2007. In 2003, Congress passed and the President signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Dr. Leroy Carhart and other physicians who perform late-term abortions sued to stop the Act from going into effect. The plaintiffs also argued that the Act’s lack of an exception for abortions necessary to protect the health of the mother rendered it unconstitutional under the Supreme Court’s decision.