Lawrence V. Texas: Evolution of Constitutional Doctrine

14 Pages Posted: 30 Nov 2005 Last revised: 15 Sep 2015

See all articles by Diana Hassel

Diana Hassel

Roger Williams University School of Law

Date Written: 2004

Abstract

The right of lesbians and gay men to be free from governmental intrusion into their sexual lives underwent a profound transformation between 1986 when Bowers v. Hardwick was decided and 2004 when Bowers was overruled by Lawrence v. Texas. Based in part on an earlier piece, The Use of Criminal Sodomy Laws in Civil Litigation, 79 Texas Law Review 813 (2001), this short essay traces the dramatic eighteen-year transformation in due process law on the topic of sodomy and speculates about some of the forces that led to the Court's decision in Lawrence.

Keywords: Constitutional Law, Right to Privacy, Due Process

Suggested Citation

Hassel, Diana, Lawrence V. Texas: Evolution of Constitutional Doctrine (2004). Roger Williams University Law Review, Vol. 9, p. 565, 2004 (10th Anniversary Edition), Roger Williams Univ. Legal Studies Paper No. 07, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=844805

Diana Hassel (Contact Author)

Roger Williams University School of Law ( email )

10 Metacom Avenue
Bristol, RI 02809
United States

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