Lehr v. Robertson (1982)
- Docket
- 81-1756
- Decided
- 1982-01-01
Summary
Question: Does New York law violate due process and equal protection within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment when a biological father who has no relationship with the child does not receive notice of adoption proceedings surrounding his child? Conclusion: No. Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for a 6-3 majority, affirmed the New York courts. The Supreme Court held that due process and equal protection were not violated because Lehr never had a significant personal or financial relationship with Jessica M. Justice Byron R. White dissented, arguing that the state cannot deny notice of adoption proceedings to a biological father when the state knows his whereabouts and interest in the child. Justice Thurgood Marshall and Justice Harry A. Blackmun joined in the dissent.