Great American Court Cases | Frontiero v. Richardson

Legal Citation: 411 U.S. 677 (1973)

Petitioners
Sharron A. Frontiero, Joseph Frontiero

Respondents
Elliot L. Richardson, Secretary of Defense, et al.

Petitioners' Claim
That requiring different criteria for male spouses of female military personnel—as opposed to female spouses—to qualify for benefits is a violation of the Fifth Amendment.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioners
Joseph L. Levin, Jr.

Chief Lawyer for Respondents
Samuel Huntington

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Warren E. Burger, William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
William H. Rehnquist

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
14 May 1973

Decision
The federal...