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LAWRENCE et al. v. TEXAS, No. 02-102

LAWRENCE et al. v. TEXAS, No. 02-102

No. 02-102 | 2003-06-26

JOHN GEDDES LAWRENCE and TYRON GARNER, PETITIONERS v. TEXAS
 
on writ of certiorari to the court of appeals of texas, fourteenth district
 
[June 26, 2003]

Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.

Liberty protects the person from unwarranted government intrusions into a dwelling or other private places. In our tradition the State is not omnipresent in the home. And there are other spheres of our lives and existence, outside the home, where the State should not be a dominant presence. Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and...