Bowers v. Hardwick 1986

Does the Constitution protect private consensual homosexual conduct?

478 U.S. 186 (1986)Liberty and privacyOverruled in 2003

The question: Does the Constitution protect private consensual homosexual conduct?
What the Court held: No. The Court upheld Georgia’s sodomy law as applied.
The vote: 5–4
Later overruled by: Lawrence v. Texas (2003), 17 years later.
Era: After Watergate
Read the opinion: 478 U.S. 186 (1986), full text

This page summarizes the Court’s judgment in neutral terms. The opinion, concurrences and dissents are the authority; read them for the reasoning.