Maher v. Roe
United States Supreme Court
432 U.S. 464 (1977)
- Written by Megan Petersen, JD
Facts
The Connecticut Welfare Department passed a regulation limiting state Medicaid benefits for first trimester abortions to those that are “medically necessary,” a term defined to include psychiatric necessity. Susan Roe (plaintiff), an indigent woman who was denied funding for an abortion under the regulation, brought suit in federal district court against Maher (defendant), Commissioner of the Connecticut Welfare Department, on the grounds that the regulation violated her fundamental right to an abortion under the Constitution and her right to equal protection of the laws. The district court held that the Equal Protection Clause required the inclusion of non-therapeutic abortions in the payment of a state’s Medicaid benefits, and Maher appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Powell, J.)
Concurrence (Burger, C.J.)
Dissent (Brennan, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 777,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 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.
