In Lawrence v. Texas, the Court's ruling relied on which constitutional protection?

In Lawrence v. Texas, the Court's ruling relied on which constitutional protection?

• A. Equal protection
• B. Privileges and immunities
• C. Due process/privacy rights under the Fourteenth Amendment
• D. Necessary and proper clause

Answer: (C)

The ruling hinges on a substantive due process right in the Fourteenth Amendment—the liberty and privacy interest that protects adults’ private, consensual intimate conduct. In Lawrence v. Texas, the Court struck down a state sodomy law by saying the government cannot intrude into the private sexual decisions of adults without a strong justification, and doing so violates the Due Process Clause. This decision draws on the idea that individuals have a right to liberty in intimate personal relationships, a privacy-protecting liberty interest recognized in prior cases. Other constitutional provisions mentioned in the choices don’t fit the holding. Equal protection focuses on discrimination, which isn’t the central basis the Court used here. The privileges and immunities clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause don’t address private intimate conduct in this context.

The ruling hinges on a substantive due process right in the Fourteenth Amendment—the liberty and privacy interest that protects adults’ private, consensual intimate conduct. In Lawrence v. Texas, the Court struck down a state sodomy law by saying the government cannot intrude into the private sexual decisions of adults without a strong justification, and doing so violates the Due Process Clause. This decision draws on the idea that individuals have a right to liberty in intimate personal relationships, a privacy-protecting liberty interest recognized in prior cases.

Other constitutional provisions mentioned in the choices don’t fit the holding. Equal protection focuses on discrimination, which isn’t the central basis the Court used here. The privileges and immunities clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause don’t address private intimate conduct in this context.