Frontiero v. Richardson

411 U.S. 677 · U.S. Supreme Court

Holding and boundaries

Invalidated sex-based differences in military spousal-benefit eligibility.

Scope and limitations: The fractured opinions and later doctrine should be distinguished from the specific benefits classification at issue.

Open authoritative source

3 issue placements

Entry, Retention & Promotion

Frontiero v. Richardson supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Entry, Retention & Promotion. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: The fractured opinions and later doctrine should be distinguished from the specific benefits classification at issue.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Military Family Care & Mobility

Frontiero v. Richardson supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Military Family Care & Mobility. Fit tier: Strong analogue. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: The fractured opinions and later doctrine should be distinguished from the specific benefits classification at issue.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Women’s Military Service Conditions

Frontiero v. Richardson supports or supplies a protective rule relevant to Women’s Military Service Conditions. Fit tier: Direct. The placement must be used only within the holding and limitations recorded here.

Scope and limitations: The fractured opinions and later doctrine should be distinguished from the specific benefits classification at issue.

Verification-state description: authoritative_text_identified; pinpoint_and_currentness_review_required

Publication and provenance

The authority is published once; issue-specific orientation and fit remain separate placements. Analogue, contextual, and historical-adverse fits are not represented as controlling.

Published under research-publication-clearance-2026-07-21. deterministic validation and objective verification are not claimed.