Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Holmes wrote the opinion in the 1927 U.S. Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell, using language that disparaged people with disabilities. (more) Buck v. Bell Supreme Court case Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buck-v-Bell Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Jordana Rosenfeld Jordana Rosenfeld is a copy editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Jordana Rosenfeld Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 20, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Quick Facts Date: 1927 (Show more) Location: United States (Show more) Key People: Carrie Buck (Show more) { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the Buck v. Bell case about? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Buck v. Bell case resulted in a 1927 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of compulsory eugenics-based sterilization laws, allowing forced sterilization of individuals deemed u201Cfeebleminded.u201D" } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Who was Carrie Buck, and why was she significant in Buck v. Bell? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Carrie Buck was the plaintiff in the Buck v. Bell case. She was institutionalized and selected as the first person to be sterilized under the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 to test its constitutionality." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the ruling of the Buck v. Bell Supreme Court case? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8u20131 in Buck v. Bell in favor of upholding the Virginia Sterilization Act, allowing compulsory sterilization. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., wrote the majority opinion." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What impact did the Buck v. Bell decision have on sterilization laws in the U.S.? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The decision in Buck v. Bell led to the enactment of similar sterilization laws in other U.S. states, resulting in roughly 60,000 forced sterilizations across 32 states. Although other Supreme Court rulings have deemed forced sterilization unconstitutional, Buck v. Bell has never been formally overturned." } } ] } Top Questions What was the Buck v. Bell case about? The Buck v. Bell case resulted in a 1927 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of compulsory eugenics-based sterilization laws, allowing forced sterilization of individuals deemed “feebleminded.”

　　Who was Carrie Buck, and why was she significant in Buck v. Bell? Carrie Buck was the plaintiff in the Buck v. Bell case. She was institutionalized and selected as the first person to be sterilized under the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924 to test its constitutionality.

　　What was the ruling of the Buck v. Bell Supreme Court case? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 in Buck v. Bell in favor of upholding the Virginia Sterilization Act, allowing compulsory sterilization. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., wrote the majority opinion.

　　What impact did the Buck v. Bell decision have on sterilization laws in the U.S.? The decision in Buck v. Bell led to the enactment of similar sterilization laws in other U.S. states, resulting in roughly 60,000 forced sterilizations across 32 states. Although other Supreme Court rulings have deemed forced sterilization unconstitutional, Buck v. Bell has never been formally overturned.

　　Buck v. Bell, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 2, 1927, upheld (8–1) the constitutionality of compulsory eugenics-based sterilization laws. The Court ruled that the plaintiff Carrie Buck’s forced sterilization, which was authorized under the Virginia Sterilization Act of 1924, did not violate the due process or equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court’s ruling in the case is often cited as one of the worst in history, along with those in Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Korematsu v. United States. Editor’s note: This article contains offensive language that is ...(100 of 849 words)

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