Also known as: Roe
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A fictitious name for a male party to a legal proceeding when the true identity is unknown or is being withheld.
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Richard Roe, a state employee, refused to report a coworker's suspected abortion under a new statute and was fired. He sued in federal court claiming a privacy violation. The court rejected the claim because no federal constitutional right to abortion exists and rational basis review applies to the regulation.
Richard Roe, using a pseudonym, challenged a state criminal abortion statute in federal court. The litigation tested state authority to regulate abortions before viability under then-existing doctrine.
Richard Roe, a new resident, was denied welfare benefits under a one-year residency requirement. He sued claiming the rule violated the right to travel, and the Court struck down the limitation.
Richard Roe, a same-sex partner, sought a marriage license that state officials denied. He joined litigation asserting a fundamental right to marry, resulting in invalidation of the state ban.
Richard Roe lived with his grandson in violation of a city zoning rule limiting household composition. He challenged the ordinance as an unconstitutional intrusion on family living arrangements.
Richard Roe was arrested under a state law criminalizing private consensual conduct. He contested the statute as violating liberty interests protected by substantive due process.
Richard Roe serves as a placeholder when the true identity of a male party is unknown or must be protected from disclosure in court filings.
Richard Roe is typically the second fictitious male party in a proceeding while John Doe is the first, though both function as generic stand-ins for unknown or protected identities.
Roe v. Wade <!-- acedexams opinion md v1 -- Case information - Court: Supreme Court of the United States - Citation: 410 U.S. 113 (1973) - Decided: January 22, 1973 -…