[1] The decision upheld a Georgia law that barred fathers of illegitimate children from bringing wrongful death claims without imposing the same burden on mothers.

In suits by the mother the illegitimacy of the child shall be no bar to a recovery.”[3]The trial court held that the statute violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment.

[4] Writing for a 5-justice majority, Justice Potter Stewart concluded that the Georgia statute did not violate the Constitution of the United States.

[1] Finally, the Court concluded that the law was rationally related to Georgia's interest in maintaining an efficient probate system and that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment did not apply.

[2] Justice Byron White dissented, arguing that the relationship between Georgia's interest in "the integrity of the family unit" was not logically connected to the law in question.