Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt
579 U.S. 582 · Decided June 27, 2016 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt was decided on June 27, 2016 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer 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
- 579 U.S. 582 · 136 S. Ct. 2292 · 195 L. Ed. 2d 665 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 4063
- Docket number
- 15-274
- Decided
- June 27, 2016
- Argued
- March 2, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-048, docket 2015-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. BecerraLaw held unconstitutional
- McCullen v. CoakleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Box v. Planned Parenthood of Ind. & Ky.
- June Medical Services LLC v. RussoLaw held unconstitutional
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health OrganizationAltered precedent
- Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Williams v. Pennsylvania
- Shawn Patrick Lynch v. Arizona
- Wearry v. Cain
- Michael Damon Rippo v. Renee Baker
- Nelson v. ColoradoLaw held unconstitutional
- BNSF Railway Co. v. Tyrrell
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