Baker V. Nelson

Baker V. Nelson

In the case of Richard John Baker v. Gerald R. Nelson the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Minnesota law limited marriage to different-sex couples and that this limitation did not violate the United States Constitution. The plaintiffs appealed, and on October 10, 1972, the United States Supreme Court dismissed the appeal "for want of a substantial federal question." Because the case came to the federal Supreme Court through mandatory appellate review (not certiorari), the summary dismissal constituted a decision on the merits and established Baker v. Nelson as a precedent, though the extent of its precedential effect has been subject to debate.

Read more about Baker V. Nelson:  Facts and Trial, Appeal To The Minnesota Supreme Court, Decision in The U.S. Supreme Court, Application of The Baker Precedent, Plaintiffs

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