Levy v. Louisiana

Levy v. Louisiana
Argued March 27, 1968
Decided May 20, 1968
Full case nameLouise Levy, Administratrix
v.
Louisiana through the Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans Board of Administrators, et al.
Citations391 U.S. 68 (more)
88 S. Ct. 1509; 20 L. Ed. 2d 436; 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1629
Holding
The right of recovery may not be denied merely because a person is the illegitimate child of the deceased, because such a law would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · William O. Douglas
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Abe Fortas · Thurgood Marshall
Case opinions
MajorityDouglas, joined by Warren, Brennan, White, Fortas, Marshall
DissentHarlan, joined by Black, Stewart
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Levy v. Louisiana, 391 U.S. 68 (1968), is a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. This decision deals primarily with the civil rights of illegitimate children, specifically regarding their ability to sue on a deceased parent's behalf. It held that the right of recovery may not be denied merely because a person is the illegitimate child of the deceased because such a law would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.