Alberto R. Gonzales v. Leroy Carhart
550 U.S. 124 · Decided April 18, 2007 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Alberto R. Gonzales v. Leroy Carhart was decided on April 18, 2007 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Abortion and contraceptives” in the Privacy area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 550 U.S. 124 · 127 S. Ct. 1610 · 167 L. Ed. 2d 480 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 4338
- Docket number
- 05-380
- Decided
- April 18, 2007
- Argued
- November 8, 2006
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Abortion and contraceptives
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1531
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General v. Leroy Carhart, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2006-031, docket 2006-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Joseph Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, Inc.
- Kelly A. Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
- Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, Inc.
- Leila Jeanne Hill v. Colorado
- Don Stenberg v. Leroy CarhartLaw held unconstitutional
- McCullen v. CoakleyLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error