H. L. v. Matheson
450 U.S. 398 · Decided March 23, 1981 · 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
H. L. v. Matheson was decided on March 23, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Abortion and contraceptives” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 450 U.S. 398 · 101 S. Ct. 1164 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 388 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 81
- Docket number
- 79-5903
- Decided
- March 23, 1981
- Argued
- October 6, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Abortion and contraceptives
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
H. L. v. Matheson, Governor of Utah, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-057, docket 1980-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Harris v. McRae
- Williams v. Zbaraz
- Bellotti v. BairdLaw held unconstitutional
- Anders v. Floyd
- Colautti v. FranklinLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- University of Texas v. Camenisch
- Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Andrus v. Idaho
- Railway Labor Executives' Assn. v. GibbonsLaw held unconstitutional
- Deposit Guaranty National Bank of Jackson v. Roper
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
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