Colautti v. Franklin
439 U.S. 379 · Decided January 9, 1979 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Colautti v. Franklin was decided on January 9, 1979 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed 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
- 439 U.S. 379 · 99 S. Ct. 675 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 596 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 51
- Docket number
- 77-891
- Decided
- January 9, 1979
- Argued
- October 3, 1978
- 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Abortion and contraceptives
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Fifth 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Colautti, Secretary of Welfare of Pennsylvania, et al. v. Franklin et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-024, docket 1978-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Anders v. Floyd
- Bellotti v. BairdLaw held unconstitutional
- Harris v. McRae
- Williams v. Zbaraz
- Beal v. Doe
- Maher v. Roe
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Bell v. Wolfish
- O'Bannon v. Town Court Nursing Center
- Marks v. United States
- United States v. Darusmont et Ux.
- Moody v. Daggett
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Anders v. Floyd
- Chrysler Corp. v. Brown
- Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System v. Merrill
- Bellotti v. BairdLaw 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