John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner v. Texas
539 U.S. 558 · Decided June 26, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner v. Texas was decided on June 26, 2003 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Privacy” in the Privacy 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
- 539 U.S. 558 · 123 S. Ct. 2472 · 156 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 5013
- Docket number
- 02-102
- Decided
- June 26, 2003
- Argued
- March 26, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Privacy
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 2002-083, docket 2002-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Privacy”
- Buck Doe v. Elaine L. Chao
- Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Lindsay Earls
- Gonzaga University and Roberta S. League v. John Doe
- Owasso Independent School District No. I-011 v. Kristja J. Falvo
- Jenifer Troxel v. Tommie GranvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Walker L. Chandler v. Zell D. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Clyde Timothy Bunkley v. Florida
- City of Los Angeles v. Edwin F. David
- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Inez Preece Campbell and Matthew C. Barneck
- City of Cuyahoga Falls v. Buckeye Community Hope Foundation
- Connecticut Department of Public Safety v. John Doe
- Illinois v. Gregory Fisher
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
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