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Parham v. J.R. - 442 U.S. 584 (1979) U.S. Supreme Court Parham v. J.R., 442 U.S. 584 (1979) Parham v. J.R. No. 75-1690 Argued December 6, 1977 Reargued October 10, 1978 Decided June 20, 1979 442 U.S. 584 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF GEORGIA Syllabus Appellees, children being treated in a Georgia state mental hospital, instituted in Federal District Court a class action against Georgia mental health officials. Appellees sought a declaratory judgment that Georgia's procedures for voluntary commitment of children under the age of 18 to state mental hospitals violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and requested an injunction against their future enforcement. Under the Georgia statute providing for the voluntary admission of children to state regional hospitals, admission begins with an application for hospitalization signed by a parent or guardian and, upon application, the superintendent of the hospital is autho...
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New York v. Ferber - 458 U.S. 747 (1982) U.S. Supreme Court New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 (1982) New York v. Ferber No. 81-55 Argued April 27, 1982 Decided July 2, 1982 458 U.S. 747 CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NEW YORK Syllabus A New York statute prohibits persons from knowingly promoting a sexual performance by a child under the age of 16 by distributing material which depicts such a performance. The statute defines "sexual performance" as any performance that includes sexual conduct by such a child, and "sexual conduct" is in turn defined as actual or simulated sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, sexual bestiality, masturbation, sado-masochistic abuse, or lewd exhibition of the genitals. Respondent bookstore proprietor was convicted under the statute for selling films depicting young boys masturbating, and the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court affirmed. The New York Court of Appeals reversed, holding that the statute violated the Fir...
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Heckler v. Turner - 470 U.S. 184 (1985) U.S. Supreme Court Heckler v. Turner, 470 U.S. 184 (1985) Heckler v. Turner No. 83-1097 Argued October 9, 1984 Decided February 27, 1985 470 U.S. 184 CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT Syllabus Section 402(a)(7)(A) of the Social Security Act (Act) provides that the responsible agency of a State participating in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program must, in determining a family's need, take into consideration "any other income and resources" of the family. Before 1981, 402(a)(7) also required the state agency to consider any "expenses reasonably attributable to the earning of any such income," and under such provision virtually all States deducted mandatory payroll-tax withholdings in determining "income." In 1981, the Act was amended by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) so as to (1) eliminate the requirement of 402(a)(7) that the State consider expenses "reasonably...
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Webster v. Reproductive Health Svcs. - 492 U.S. 490 (1989) U.S. Supreme Court Webster v. Reproductive Health Svcs., 492 U.S. 490 (1989) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services No. 88-605 Argued April 26, 1989 Decided July 3, 1989 492 U.S. 490 APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT Syllabus Appellees, state-employed health professionals and private nonprofit corporations providing abortion services, brought suit in the District Court for declaratory and injunctive relief challenging the constitutionality of a Missouri statute regulating the performance of abortions. The statute, inter alia: (1) sets forth "findings" in its preamble that "[t]he life of each human being begins at conception," and that "unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and wellbeing," 1.205.1(1), (2), and requires that all state laws be interpreted to provide unborn children with the same rights enjoyed by other persons, subject to the Federal Constit...
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Massachusetts v. Oakes - 491 U.S. 576 (1989) U.S. Supreme Court Massachusetts v. Oakes, 491 U.S. 576 (1989) Massachusetts v. Oakes No. 87-1651 Argued January 17, 1989 Decided June 21, 1989 491 U.S. 576 CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS Syllabus In 1984, respondent Oakes took color photographs of his partially nude and physically mature 14-year-old stepdaughter, L.S. He was indicted, tried, and convicted of violating a Massachusetts statute ( 29A) prohibiting adults from posing or exhibiting minors "in a state of nudity" for purposes of visual representation or reproduction in any publication, motion picture, photograph, or picture. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed the conviction. After holding that Oakes' posing of L.S. was speech for First Amendment purposes, the court struck down the statute as substantially overbroad under the First Amendment without addressing whether 29A could be constitutionally applied to Oakes. It concluded ...
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Sullivan v. Zebley - 493 U.S. 521 (1990) U.S. Supreme Court Sullivan v. Zebley, 493 U.S. 521 (1990) Sullivan v. Zebley No. 88-1377 Argued Nov. 28, 1989 Decided Feb. 20, 1990 493 U.S. 521 CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT Syllabus The Social Security Act authorizes the payment of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to, inter alios, a child who suffers from an impairment of "comparable severity" Page 493 U. S. 522 to one that would render an adult disabled. An adult is disabled if he is prevented from engaging in any substantial gainful activity by reason of certain medically determinable physical or mental impairments. Petitioner Secretary of Health and Human Services has created a 5-step test to determine adult disability. At the test's third step, a claimant may be found to be disabled if medical evidence of his impairment matches or is equal to one of a listing of impairments presumed severe enough to preclude any gai...
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Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey - 505 U.S. 833 (1992) OCTOBER TERM, 1991 Syllabus PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA ET AL. v. CASEY, GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT No. 91-744. Argued April 22, 1992-Decided June 29, 1992* At issue are five provisions of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982: 3205, which requires that a woman seeking an abortion give her informed consent prior to the procedure, and specifies that she be provided with certain information at least 24 hours before the abortion is performed; 3206, which mandates the informed consent of one parent for a minor to obtain an abortion, but provides a judicial bypass procedure; 3209, which commands that, unless certain exceptions apply, a married woman seeking an abortion must sign a statement indicating that she has notified her husband; 3203, which defines a "medical emergency" that will excuse compliance w...
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Vernonia School Dist. 47J v. Acton - 515 U.S. 646 (1995) OCTOBER TERM, 1994 Syllabus VERNONIA SCHOOL DISTRICT 47J v. ACTON ET UX., GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR ACTON CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT No. 94-590. Argued March 28, 1995-Decided June 26,1995 Motivated by the discovery that athletes were leaders in the student drug culture and concern that drug use increases the risk of sports-related injury, petitioner school district (District) adopted the Student Athlete Drug Policy (Policy), which authorizes random urinalysis drug testing of students who participate in its athletics programs. Respondent Acton was denied participation in his school's football program when he and his parents (also respondents) refused to consent to the testing. They then filed this suit, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief on the grounds that the Policy violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and the Oregon Constitution. The District Court denied the cla...
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Troxel v. Granville - 530 U.S. 57 (2000) OCTOBER TERM, 1999 Syllabus TROXEL ET VIR v. GRANVILLE CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF WASHINGTON No. 99-138. Argued January 12, 2000-Decided June 5, 2000 Washington Rev. Code 26.1O.160(3) permits "[a]ny person" to petition for visitation rights "at any time" and authorizes state superior courts to grant such rights whenever visitation may serve a child's best interest. Petitioners Troxel petitioned for the right to visit their deceased son's daughters. Respondent Granville, the girls' mother, did not oppose all visitation, but objected to the amount sought by the Troxels. The Superior Court ordered more visitation than Granville desired, and she appealed. The State Court of Appeals reversed and dismissed the Troxels' petition. In affirming, the State Supreme Court held, inter alia, that 26.10.160(3) unconstitutionally infringes on parents' fundamental right to rear their children. Reasoning that the Federal Constitution permits a...
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Egelhoff v. Egelhoff - 532 U.S. 141 (2001) OCTOBER TERM, 2000 Syllabus EGELHOFF v. EGELHOFF, A MINOR, BY AND THROUGH HER NATURAL PARENT, BREINER, ET AL. CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF WASHINGTON No. 99-1529. Argued November 8, 2000-Decided March 21, 2001 While David A. Egelhoff was married to petitioner, he designated her as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy and pension plan provided by his employer and governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Shortly after petitioner and Mr. Egelhoff divorced, Mr. Egelhoff died intestate. Respondents, Mr. Egelhoff's children by a previous marriage, filed separate suits against petitioner in state court to recover the insurance proceeds and pension plan benefits. They relied on a Washington statute that provides that the designation of a spouse as the beneficiary of a nonprobate asset-defined to include a life insurance policy or employee benefit plan-is revoked automatically upon divorce. Responden...
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