Bellotti v. Baird
428 U.S. 132 · Decided July 1, 1976 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Bellotti v. Baird was decided on July 1, 1976 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, privacy” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 428 U.S. 132 · 96 S. Ct. 2857 · 49 L. Ed. 2d 844 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 81
- Docket number
- 75-73
- Decided
- July 1, 1976
- Argued
- March 23, 1976
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, privacy
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Abstention doctrine
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Bellotti, Attorney General of Massachusetts, et al. v. Baird et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-172, docket 1975-172-01.
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- Juidice v. Vail
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- Harris County Commissioners Court v. Moore
- Moore v. Sims et Ux.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Boehning v. Indiana State Employees Assn., Inc.
- Northern Indiana Public Service Co. v. Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, Inc.
- Bray v. United States
- Weinstein v. Bradford
- Mathews v. Weber
- Dove v. United StatesAltered precedent
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