Sosna v. Iowa

United States Supreme Court

419 U.S. 393 (1975)

Relevant factsFree

Carol Sosna (plaintiff) moved from New York to Iowa in August 1971 after separating from her husband Michael (defendant), and petitioned for divorce in Iowa the following month, but the Iowa court dismissed her petition because she hadn't yet satisfied the state's one-year residency requirement for filing divorce petitions; Sosna appealed, challenging the requirement's constitutionality.

IssueFree

Whether it is constitutional for a state to require a one-year residency period before a person living in that state may file for divorce there.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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