Doe v. Bolton

319 F. Supp. 1048, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10717
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedJuly 31, 1970
DocketCiv. A. No. 13676
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 319 F. Supp. 1048 (Doe v. Bolton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Doe v. Bolton, 319 F. Supp. 1048, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10717 (N.D. Ga. 1970).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This is an action for declaratory and injunctive relief brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. §§ 2201 and 2202, and 42 U.S.C. A. § 1983 and 28 U.S.C.A. § 1343. It is a class action attacking Ga. Code Ann. § 26-1201 et seq. (1969) Georgia’s “Abortion Act.”

Plaintiffs claim to represent four sub-classes: pregnant women, single or married, wishing legal abortions; licensed physicians who wish to perform or counsel performance of legal abortions; registered nurses who desire to participate in performing or counsel [1051]*1051performance of legal abortions; and ministers and social workers who wish to be free to advise abortion in counsel-ling pregnant women.

Plaintiffs seek an order declaring Georgia’s Abortion Statute unconstitutional and enjoining its enforcement on various grounds:

(1) the Statute is unconstitutionally vague and indefinite on its face and as applied, failing to provide sufficient warning of the conduct proscribed, in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution;

(2) Georgia’s Abortion Statute unconstitutionally abridges a woman’s right to decide to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, in restricting that fundamental liberty without an overriding compelling state interest;

(3) the Statute unconstitutionally restricts the right of the physicians, nurses, ministers and social workers to practice their professions;

(4) Georgia’s Abortion Statute produces discrimination against poor and non-white women in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

PENDING MOTIONS

Arthur K. Bolton, sued in his official capacity as Attorney General of Georgia has moved for an order dismissing the claim against him on the ground that no relief could be granted against him since he is not charged generally with the enforcement, application or administration of the Georgia criminal statutes.

As plaintiffs observe, Article VI, § X, Par. II of the Georgia Constitution, Ga. Code Ann. § 2-4502 (1933) requires the Attorney General to represent the State in any civil or criminal case when required by the Governor. Furthermore, he may be required to give the Governor advisory opinions on the abortion statute. Ga. Code Ann. § 40-1602 (1933). Finally, the Attorney General is head of the Department of Law, which is vested with authority and jurisdiction in all matters of law relating to governmental departments, boards and agencies. Ga. Code Ann. § 40-1614 (1943). The Attorney General has sufficient connection with enforcement of the statutes attacked to justify retaining him as a party.1 See Arneson v. Denny, 25 F.2d 993 (W.D.Wash.1928); Jackson v. Colorado, 294 F.Supp. 1065, 1072 (D.Colo.1968); James v. Almond, 170 F.Supp. 331, 341-342 (E.D.Va.1959); International Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Union v. Ackerman, 82 F.Supp. 65, 124 (D.Haw.1948), rev’d on other grounds 187 F.2d 860 (9th Cir. 1951); Bevins v. Prindable, 39 F.Supp. 708, 710 (E.D.Ill.1941). Accordingly, that motion is denied.

The Attorney General has also objected to interrogatories which plaintiffs served for answer by a witness, Roger Roehat, M. D. In view of the disposition of this case made below, no ruling on this motion is necessary.

The motion of Ferdinand Buckley, Esquire, for reconsideration of the revocation of his appointment as guardian ad litem will be dealt with in connection with the discussion under MERITS below.

The motion of the National Legal Program on Health Problems of the Poor to submit a brief as amicus curiae is granted.

The defendant Lewis R. Slaton, District Attorney of Fulton County, filed motions seeking orders requiring disclosure of plaintiff’s identity, granting a continuance for discovery for a reasonable time thereafter, and requiring plaintiff to submit to a physical and mental examination. In view of the reasons for which it is held that the complaint of this plaintiff presented a justi[1052]*1052dable controversy, these motions are directed toward obtaining information which is not relevant to the case. Accordingly, they are denied.

JURISDICTION

A. Substantial Constitutional Question.

A three-judge court was convened pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. §§ 2281 and 2284. Such action is proper where plaintiffs attack the constitutionality of a state statute, raising a substantial constitutional question, and seek equitable relief against its enforcement. Idlewild Bon Voyage Liquor Corp. v. Epstein, 370 U.S. 713, 715, 82 S.Ct. 1294, 8 L.Ed.2d 794 (1962).

Plaintiffs here attack the constitutionality of Ga. Code Ann. § 26-1201 et seq. (1969) on the grounds that it infringes rights protected by various Amendments to the United States Constitution. They seek an injunction against enforcement. In light of recent cases on the subject of the Constitutional right to an abortion, this Constitutional question appears substantial. See Roe v. Wade, 314 F.Supp. 1217 (N.D.Tex., June 17, 1970); Doe v, Randall, 314 F.Supp. 32 (D.Minn., May 19, 1970); Doe v. Scott, 310 F.Supp. 688 (N.D.Ill., March 27, 1970); Babbitz v. McCann, 310 F.Supp. 293 (E.D.Wis.1970); United States v. Vuitch, 305 F.Supp. 1032 (D.D.C.1969), app. docketed, No. 1155 (February 5, 1970); California v. Belous, 71 Cal.2d 954, 80 Cal.Rptr. 354, 458 P.2d 194 (1969), cert. den. 397 U.S. 915, 90 S.Ct. 920, 25 L.Ed.2d 96 (1970).

B. Justiciability.

Standing

By motion to dismiss, Lewis R. Slaton, District Attorney of Fulton County, contends that all plaintiffs other than Mary Doe lack standing to maintain this action. The basis for the claims of these plaintiffs is that because they are not free to perform or counsel the obtaining of abortions, they are unconstitutionally restricted in the practice of their professions.

There are certainly instances in which any of these plaintiffs would have standing to claim a constitutional right to practice his profession, and infringement thereof. For instance, few would dispute that a social worker being prosecuted for conspiracy because he (or she) counselled obtaining an abortion, and referred the client to a physician for the abortion, would have standing to seek a declaratory judgment of his (or her) asserted constitutional right and infringement thereof. See Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479, 85 S.Ct. 1678, 14 L.Ed.2d 510 (1965).

But absent prosecution or indictment, that these plaintiffs do have standing is more difficult to see. Whether their claim is otherwise justiciable is irrelevant. Flast v. Cohen, 392 U.S. 83, 100 n.

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Bluebook (online)
319 F. Supp. 1048, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10717, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/doe-v-bolton-gand-1970.