Levy v. Louisiana

Louise Levy was the mother of five children, all of them born out of wedlock. She cared for the children herself, maintaining with them a relationship much like any other typical household. After alleged malpractice by Levy's doctor at the Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans, Louise Levy died. The appellant, on behalf of Levy's children, sought damages for Levy's wrongful death as well as damages for an unsettled case that Levy had not lived to see settled.

The Louisiana District Court dismissed the suit. On appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, citing Louisiana statute defining a "child" for the purposes of damage recovery as a legitimate child. As the children were born outside of marriage, the courts deemed that they had no standing to sue on Levy's behalf. The Court of Appeals also defended its affirmation, claiming that the law was sound because it furthered the government interest of maintaining morals and general welfare by discouraging bearing children out of wedlock. The Supreme Court of Louisiana denied certiorari, and the case was finally appealed to the US Supreme Court on constitutional grounds. Specifically, the appellant claimed that the Louisiana law violated the Fourteenth Amendment and so was invalid.

The 6-3 decision in favor of Levy's children was delivered on Monday, May 20, 1968. Justice Douglas wrote the majority opinion, which was joined by Chief Justice Warren and Associate Justices Brennan, White, Fortas, and Marshall. The Court stated that the children involved in the case were clearly "persons" under the Fourteenth Amendment, which entitled them to its full protection.

The Court noted that while states enjoy substantial powers to make classifications, states are not permitted to classify in a way that constitutes "invidious discrimination against a particular class." The objective nature of the "invidious discrimination" test was not clearly outlined, but the Court stated that the classifications states made had to be at least rational.

The Court continued to note the deference historically given to the legislature regarding its ability to draft law. However, when basic civil rights are involved, the Court said that it freely struck down "invidious discrimination," even laws with "history and tradition on [their] side." One precedent cited was the decision the Court made in Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark case in American civil rights.

In the case at hand, the Court attacked the inappropriateness of the Louisiana statute and considered that the children's legitimacy had no bearing on their relationship to their mother. The statute was declared unconstitutional, and the decision of the lower courts was reversed.

Justice Harlan authored a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justices Black and Stewart.

• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 391
• Linda R. S. v. Richard D.: Supreme Court case involving child support for children born out of wedlock

• Krause, Harry D. (1969). "Legitimate and Illegitimate Offspring of Levy v. Louisiana: First Decisions on Equal Protection and Paternity". The University of Chicago Law Review. 36 (2): 338–363. JSTOR 1598823.

• Text of Levy v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 68 (1968) is available from:  CourtListener  Findlaw  Google Scholar  Justia  Library of Congress  Oyez (oral argument audio)