Bellotti v. Baird
443 U.S. 622 · Decided July 2, 1979 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Bellotti v. Baird was decided on July 2, 1979 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 443 U.S. 622 · 99 S. Ct. 3035 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 797 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 17
- Docket number
- 78-329
- Decided
- July 2, 1979
- Argued
- February 27, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- 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 J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Bellotti, Attorney General of Massachusetts, et al. v. Baird et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-158, docket 1978-158-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Anders v. Floyd
- Colautti v. FranklinLaw held unconstitutional
- Harris v. McRae
- Williams v. Zbaraz
- H. L. v. Matheson
- Beal v. Doe
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Moore v. Duckworth
- Jackson v. Virginia
- Mackey v. Montrym
- Barry v. BarchiLaw held unconstitutional
- Parham v. J.R.
- Secretary of Public Welfare of Pennsylvania v. Institutionalized Juveniles
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Colautti v. FranklinLaw held unconstitutional
- Anders v. Floyd
- Chrysler Corp. v. Brown
- Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System v. Merrill
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