Stanton v. Stanton
| Stanton v. Stanton | |
|---|---|
 L. Ed. 2d 688 | |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Appeal from the Supreme Court of Utah |
| Holding | |
| Utah's definition of adulthood was a violation of equal protection. Utah Supreme Court reversed and remanded. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Blackmun, joined by Burger, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall, Powell |
| Dissent | Rehnquist |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. XIV | |
Stanton v. Stanton, 421 U.S. 7 (1975), is a
Background
The case had started in Utah state court.[1]: 217–218 A divorced father stopped paying child support for his daughter when she turned eighteen, so the daughter's mother went to court to ask for support until both the daughter and the son reached twenty-one.[1]: 218 Utah divorce court ruled against the mother, and the Utah Supreme Court held that there was a "reasonable basis" for the differential: women matured earlier and married younger; men had a greater need for education.[1]: 218 The Utah court stated in its opinion that the basis for the law, though an "old notion," was not unconstitutional.[1]: 218
Opinion
The Stanton decision placed the Court on record as declaring that society's stereotypes were not a legitimate basis for official policies that treated men and women differently.[1]: 218
Blackmun wrote: "A child, male or female, is still a child... No longer is the female destined solely for the home and the rearing of the family, and only the male for the marketplace and the world of ideas... If a specified age of minority is required for the boy in order to assure him parental support while he attains his education and training, so, too, is it for the girl."[2]
See also
- Gender equality
- List of gender equality lawsuits
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 421
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8050-8057-5.
- ^ Stanton v. Stanton, 421 U.S. 7, 15 (1975).
External links
- Text of Stanton v. Stanton, 421 U.S. 7 (1975) is available from: Findlaw Justia Library of Congress OpenJurist Oyez (oral argument audio)