US Judicial System – Constitution, Courts, And Cases Practice Test

The main idea being tested is identifying the case that first recognized a constitutional right to abortion. Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, held that there is a constitutional right to privacy that protects a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, at least during the early stages of pregnancy, under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This set a nationwide standard and created a framework for balancing a woman's rights with the state’s interests, which was later refined but not overturned for decades. In 2022, that framework was overturned by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion and returned the authority to regulate abortions to individual states. Regarding the other options, Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaffirmed the core holding of Roe but allowed states to impose restrictions so long as they do not place an undue burden on the woman seeking an abortion, so it did not establish the right anew. Griswold v. Connecticut addressed a right to privacy in contraception, not abortion. Doe v. Bolton was another abortion case from the same era that expanded access, but Roe is the landmark ruling that first recognized the constitutional right.