Home > Great American Court Cases > Orr v. Orr

Legal Citation: 440 U.S. 268 (1979)

Appellant
William Herbert Orr

Appellee
Lillian M. Orr

Appellant's Claim
That Alabama's alimony statutes were unconstitutional.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant
John L. Capell III

Chief Lawyer for Appellee
W. F. Horsley

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens, Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
Warren E. Burger, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
5 March 1979

Decision
Invalidated Alabama's statutes by which husbands, but not wives, might be required to pay alimony upon divorce.

Significance
Rejected the premise that married women are necessarily dependent...