In re Grady
New Jersey Supreme Court
426 A.2d 467 (1981)
- Written by Haley Gintis, JD
Facts
Lee Ann Grady was born with Down’s syndrome, which greatly impaired her cognitive functions. For the first 19 years of her life, Grady attended a special class within the public school. Aware that Grady would no longer be eligible to attend the special class when she turned 20, Grady’s parents decided to place her in a work group shelter and home for individuals with intellectual disabilities. After discussing the decision with Grady’s doctor, Grady’s parents sought to have her sterilized as a precaution before changing her living environment. However, the hospital refused to sterilize Grady without judicial authorization. In response, Grady’s parents petitioned a court to authorize the procedure. The trial court judge appointed Grady a guardian ad litem and met with Grady to better understand her condition. The judge heard testimony from Grady’s father and several experts, received evidence documenting Grady’s condition, and considered the interests of Grady and the state. All parties involved agreed that sterilization was the best course of action. The judge then authorized the sterilization procedure on the ground that because Grady was unable to make a meaningful decision about sterilization, her parents had the authority to exercise substituted consent. The matter was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court to consider the appropriate standard for authorizing an incompetent person’s sterilization.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Pashman, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.