Griswold v. Connecticut : Birth Control and the Constitutional Right of Privacy

John W. Johnson

ISBN 10: 0700613781 / ISBN 13: 9780700613786

Published by University Press Of Kansas Mär 2005, 2005

About this Item

Neuware - Americans value privacy as one their most cherished rights, yet the word 'privacy' isn't even mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. It took the supreme Court's ruling in 'Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) to bestow constitutional protection upon this right. That remains one of the Court's most hotly debated rulings and led directly to an even more controversial decision in 'Roe v. Wade (1973). John Johnson's masterly critique of Griswold-'which observes its 40th anniversary on June 7, 2005-'reminds us once again of its crucial impact on both American law and society. Johnson explores 'Griswold's origins in a challenge to Connecticut's 1879 anticontraception law, provides a detailed narrative of its progress, examines the unfolding of the newly secured right of privacy up to recent controversies over same-sex relations, and grounds the story in two key contexts: the struggle within one state to establish the right to birth control and the national debate over the right of privacy. He also provides important insights into the Supreme Court decision in 'Poe v. Ullman (1961), which rejected challenges to the Connecticut's law and was itself immediately challenged. In response to 'poe, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in New Haven to dispense birth control advice and devices to married women. Ten days later, a local prosecutor shut the clinic down and indicted executive director Estelle Griswold and her medical director, C. Lee Buxton. Tracing the progress of Griswold's case, Johnson clarifies how privacy or 'the right to be let alone' became a judicially constructed right. In one of the most idiosyncratic opinions in the Court's history, Justice William O. Douglas ruled that 'emanations' fromfive constitutional amendments afforded protection to the right of privacy, while several other justices proposed competing rationales in support. As he unravels this fascinating tale, Johnson reveals a multifaceted decision that was not in fact the doctrinal novelty that m.

Seller Inventory # 9780700613786

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Griswold v. Connecticut : Birth Control and the Constitutional Right of Privacy
• Publisher: University Press Of Kansas Mär 2005
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0700613781
• ISBN 13: 9780700613786
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 217W x 140H x 21D millimeters 217 millimeters width by 140 millimeters height by 21 millimeters depth
• Weight: 335 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Privacy isn't even mentioned in the US Constitution. It took the Supreme Court's ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) to bestow constitutional protection upon this right. John Johnson's critique of Griswold - which observes its 40th anniversary on June 7, 2005 - reminds us once again of its crucial impact on both American law and society.

Review

"We owe Johnson a deep debt of gratitude for providing us with such keen insight into one of the Supreme Court's most influential decisions."--New York Law Journal

"A highly readable account that, like Anthony Lewis's classic Gideon's Trumpet, would be suitable for introductory American government or law classes."--Law and Politics Book Review

An illuminating, lucid account of how the argument for a right to contraception moved from the radical feminist fringe to recognition by the Supreme Court as a basic human rightlater extended to abortion and gay/lesbian sex.David A.J. Richards, author of Women, Gays, and the Constitution: The Grounds for Feminism and Gay Rights in Culture and Law

Demonstrates that the constitutionally protected right to privacy, as defined by Griswold, is only of recent vintage but has ramifications for American law and politics that are likely to last for many years.Philippa Strum, author of When the Nazis Came to Skokie: Freedom for Speech We Hate