Introducing Lawrence v. Texas: Some Background and a Glimpse of the Future

Authors

Edward Stein, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Publication Date

2004

Journal

Cardozo Women's Law Journal

Abstract

The Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas broke new ground for the legal position of lesbians, gay men and other sexual minorities in the United States. This article reviews the legal background against which Lawrence was decided (focusing on privacy and equal protection arguments). The article then explores the likely implications of this decision, specifically for the recognition of same-sex marriage and the constitutionality of laws that make other sex acts criminal. The article suggests that the most interesting questions after Lawrence concern whether the logic of Justice O'Connor's concurrence (that focused on the equal protection argument) will be accepted in the future.

Volume

10

First Page

263

Publisher

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Keywords

LGBTQ, LGBTQ rights, gay, lesbian, equal protection, same-sex marriage

Disciplines

Law

Recommended Citation

Edward Stein, Introducing Lawrence v. Texas: Some Background and a Glimpse of the Future, 10 Cardozo Women's L.J. 263 (2004).
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/faculty-articles/179