Reed v. Reed
U.S. Case LawLegal Definition of Reed v. Reed
404 U.S. 71 (1971), declared a state law unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminated against women, the first such decision in the Court's history. The law in question was one that preferred the father over the mother as executor of a son's estate. Despite nearly two centuries of upholding the constitutionality of such gender-discriminatory laws, the Court said in this case that the father-preference represented “the very kind of arbitrary legislative choice forbidden by the [Fourteenth Amendment's] equal protection clause.”
Comments on Reed v. Reed
What made you want to look up Reed v. Reed? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
Which Came First? Quiz
Do you know which word is older?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Bee Cubed
Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.
Play the game
Share Reed v. Reed
Resources for Reed v. Reed