Roe v. Wade
410 U.S. 113 · Decided January 22, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Roe v. Wade was decided on January 22, 1973 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Abortion and contraceptives” in the Privacy area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 410 U.S. 113 · 93 S. Ct. 705 · 35 L. Ed. 2d 147 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 159
- Docket number
- 70-18
- Decided
- January 22, 1973
- Argued
- December 13, 1971
- Reargued
- October 11, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Abortion and contraceptives
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Roe et al. v. Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-048, docket 1972-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Doe v. BoltonLaw held unconstitutional
- Eisenstadt v. BairdLaw held unconstitutional
- Poe v. Gerstein
- United States v. Vuitch
- Connecticut v. Menillo
- Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. DanforthLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Ham v. South Carolina
- Ortwein v. Schwab
- Ward v. Village of MonroevilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Robinson v. HanrahanLaw held unconstitutional
- Douglas v. Buder
- Vlandis v. KlineLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. Mink
- Doe v. BoltonLaw 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