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Joseph F. Morrissey

Selected Works

2009

Contracts

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Taking Lochner Out Of The Closet, Joseph F. Morrissey Aug 2009

Taking Lochner Out Of The Closet, Joseph F. Morrissey

Joseph F. Morrissey

This article, “Taking Lochner Out of the Closet,” is at the intersection of contract law, constitutional law, and sexual orientation law. The article offers a fresh and neutral analytical framework based on liberty of contract to advance gay rights. The framework might also be applied to other areas of concern where government regulation must be justified.

With respect to gay rights specifically, many of the states of the United States have statutes, constitutional provisions, and court decisions that deny individuals the right to have a family, specifically a spouse and children, based on sexual orientation. Advocates frequently argue that such …