Legal Opinion
Michael M. v. Superior Court of Sonoma County
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided March 23, 1981No. 79-1344PublishedCited by 335 opinions
1Judgment of the CourtJustice Rehnquist, joined by The Chief Justice, Justice Stewart, and Justice Powell
The question presented in this case is whether California’s “statutory rape” law, § 261.5 of the Cal. Penal Code Ann. (West Supp. 1981), violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Section 261.5 defines unlawful sexual intercourse as “an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a female not the wife of the perpetrator, where the female is under the age of 18 years.” The statute thus makes men alone criminally liable for the act of sexual intercourse.
In July 1978, a complaint was filed in the Municipal Court of Sonoma County, Cal., alleging that petitioner, then a…
2Cases cited52 opinions
- Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.Supreme Court of the United States · 1977
- United States v. O'BrienSupreme Court of the United States · 1968
- Washington v. DavisSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
- Prince v. MassachusettsSupreme Court of the United States · 1944
- Craig v. BorenSupreme Court of the United States · 1976
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3Cited by335 opinions
- Rostker v. GoldbergSupreme Court of the United States · 1981
- Hunter v. UnderwoodSupreme Court of the United States · 1985
- Mary Beth G. v. City of ChicagoCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · 1983
- Miller v. AlbrightSupreme Court of the United States · 1998
- Kenyon v. HammerArizona Supreme Court · 1984
330 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.