Craig v. Boren
429 U.S. 190 · Decided December 20, 1976 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Craig v. Boren was decided on December 20, 1976 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 429 U.S. 190 · 97 S. Ct. 451 · 50 L. Ed. 2d 397 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 183
- Docket number
- 75-628
- Decided
- December 20, 1976
- Argued
- October 5, 1976
- 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Craig et al. v. Boren, Governor of Oklahoma, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-025, docket 1976-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Stanton v. Stanton
- Califano v. GoldfarbLaw held unconstitutional
- Califano v. Webster
- Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.
- United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburgh, Inc. v. Carey
- Town of Lockport v. Citizens for Community Action at the Local Level, Inc.
- Castaneda v. Partida
- Trimble v. GordonLaw held unconstitutional
- Chappelle v. Greater Baton Rouge Airport DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Bagamasbad
- General Electric Co. v. Gilbert
- Mathews v. de Castro
- International Union of Electrical v. Robbins & Myers, Inc.
- Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.
- Knebel v. Hein
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