Which case recognized a right to privacy in marital relations, grounded in the Penumbras of the Bill of Rights?

Which case recognized a right to privacy in marital relations, grounded in the Penumbras of the Bill of Rights?

• A. Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
• B. Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)
• C. Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
• D. Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested is the recognition of a constitutional right to privacy inferred from the Constitution’s guarantees, particularly as a zone around intimate decisions like marriage. In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court struck down a law banning contraceptives for married couples and explained that the First, Third, Fourth, and Ninth Amendments create penumbras—zones of privacy—that protect marital privacy. This ruling established that couples have a right to make intimate decisions about procreation without state interference, even though the right to privacy isn’t stated explicitly in the text. It also laid the groundwork for later privacy decisions dealing with intimate and family matters. The other cases address different issues—school prayer and Establishment Clause concerns in Schempp and Lemon, and privacy in sexual conduct more broadly in Lawrence—but Griswold is the one that directly anchors privacy rights to marital relations in the penumbras.

The main idea tested is the recognition of a constitutional right to privacy inferred from the Constitution’s guarantees, particularly as a zone around intimate decisions like marriage. In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court struck down a law banning contraceptives for married couples and explained that the First, Third, Fourth, and Ninth Amendments create penumbras—zones of privacy—that protect marital privacy. This ruling established that couples have a right to make intimate decisions about procreation without state interference, even though the right to privacy isn’t stated explicitly in the text. It also laid the groundwork for later privacy decisions dealing with intimate and family matters. The other cases address different issues—school prayer and Establishment Clause concerns in Schempp and Lemon, and privacy in sexual conduct more broadly in Lawrence—but Griswold is the one that directly anchors privacy rights to marital relations in the penumbras.