Which case held that adults have a constitutional right to engage in consensual sexual activity in the privacy of their home?

• A. Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)
• B. Lawrence v. Texas (2003)
• C. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
• D. Reynolds v. Sims (1964)

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that adults have a constitutional liberty to make intimate private choices without government interference. In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court held that adults have the right to engage in consensual sexual activity in the privacy of their home, protected by the Due Process Clause. The Court described this as a personal liberty fundamental to individual autonomy, and it struck down a sodomy law because criminalizing private, consensual conduct among adults serves no legitimate state interest and intrudes on a private realm where the state should not meddle. This ruling also clarified that moral disapproval isn’t a sufficient justification for restricting private intimate behavior and it overruled a prior decision that had allowed such criminalization.

Other cases mentioned address different issues: one establishes a right to same-sex marriage on due process and equal protection grounds; another concerns campaign finance limits; another deals with how legislative districts are drawn. The Lawrence decision is the one that directly protects private, consensual sexual activity in the home.