Which case was overruled by Lawrence v. Texas in terms of privacy and sexual conduct?

• A. Bowers v. Hardwick
• B. Planned Parenthood v. Casey
• C. Texas v. Johnson
• D. Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Answer: (A)

Lawrence v. Texas centers on privacy and liberty in intimate life. It overruled Bowers v. Hardwick, which had held that there is no constitutional protection for private, homosexual acts and that the state could regulate private sexual behavior. Lawrence rejected that reasoning, declaring that adults have the liberty to engage in private, consensual sexual conduct without unjustified government intrusion. The decision treats private sexual intimacy as part of the due process protections, and it bars laws that target such conduct on moral grounds. So the case that Lawrence v. Texas reversed in this area is Bowers v. Hardwick. The other listed cases deal with different issues—abortion, flag burning as free speech, and school censorship—and aren’t the precedents Lawrence overruled regarding privacy and sexual conduct.