Leighann Dobbs Popular Books

Leighann Dobbs Biography & Facts

Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that sanctions including any form of criminal punishment to all forms of private, consensual non-procreative adult sexual activities between two individuals (commonly referred to as sodomy laws) are unconstitutional. The Court reaffirmed the concept of a "right to privacy" that earlier cases had found the U.S. Constitution provides, even though it is not explicitly enumerated. It based its ruling on the notions of personal autonomy to define one's own relationships and of American traditions of non-interference with any or all forms of private sexual activities between consenting adults.In 1998, John Geddes Lawrence Jr., an older white man, was arrested along with Tyron Garner, a younger black man, at Lawrence's apartment in Harris County, Texas. Garner's former boyfriend had called the police, claiming that there was a man with a weapon in the apartment. Sheriff's deputies said they found the men engaging in sexual intercourse. Lawrence and Garner were charged with a misdemeanor under Texas' anti-sodomy law; both pleaded no contest and received a fine. Assisted by the American civil rights organization Lambda Legal, Lawrence and Garner appealed their sentences to the Texas Courts of Appeals, which ruled in 2000 that the sodomy law was unconstitutional. Texas appealed to have the court rehear the case en banc, and in 2001 it overturned its prior judgment and upheld the law. Lawrence appealed this decision to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which denied his request for appeal. Lawrence then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreed to hear his case. The Supreme Court struck down the sodomy law in Texas in a 6–3 decision, and by extension invalidated sodomy laws in 13 other states, making all forms of private, consensual non-procreative sexual activities between two consenting individuals of either sex (especially of the same sex) legal in every U.S. state and territory. The Court, with a five-justice majority, overturned its previous ruling on the same issue in the 1986 case Bowers v. Hardwick, where it upheld a challenged Georgia statute and did not find a constitutional protection of sexual privacy. It explicitly overruled Bowers, holding that it had viewed the liberty interest too narrowly. The Court held that intimate consensual sexual conduct was part of the liberty protected by substantive due process under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Lawrence invalidated similar laws throughout the United States that criminalized sodomy between consenting adults acting in private, whatever the sex of the participants.The case attracted much public attention, and 33 amici curiae ("friends of the court") briefs were filed. Its outcome was celebrated by gay rights advocates, and set the stage for further reconsideration of standing law, including the landmark cases of United States v. Windsor (2013), which invalidated Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which recognized same-sex marriage as a fundamental right under the United States Constitution. Background Legal punishments for sodomy often included heavy fines, prison sentences, or both, with some states, beginning with Illinois in 1827, denying other rights, such as suffrage, to anyone convicted of the crime of sodomy. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several states imposed various eugenics laws against anyone deemed to be a "sexual pervert". As late as 1970, Connecticut denied a driver's license to a man for being an "admitted homosexual".As of 1960, every state had an anti-sodomy law. In 1961, the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code advocated the repeal of sodomy laws as they applied to private, adult, consensual behavior. Two years later the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) took its first major case in opposition to these laws.In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court struck down a law barring the use of contraceptives by married couples. In Griswold, the Supreme Court recognized for the first time that couples, at least married couples, had a right to privacy, drawing on the Fourth Amendment's protection of private homes from searches and seizures without a warrant based on probable cause, the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of due process of law in the states, and the Ninth Amendment's assurance that rights not specified in the Constitution are "retained by the people". Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972) expanded the scope of sexual privacy rights to unmarried persons. In 1973, in Roe v. Wade the US Supreme court extended that right to privacy to protect a woman's right to have an abortion, although the extent to which that might be regulated by the government varied, with almost absolute protection in the first trimester, and allowing for increasing regulation as the pregnancy progressed. In Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), the Supreme Court heard a constitutional challenge to sodomy laws brought by a man who had been arrested, but was not prosecuted, for engaging in oral sex with another man in his home. The Court rejected this challenge in a 5 to 4 decision. Justice Byron White's majority opinion emphasized that Eisenstadt and Roe had only recognized a right to engage in procreative sexual activity, and that long-standing moral antipathy toward homosexual sodomy was enough to argue against the notion of a right to sodomy. Justice Blackmun, writing in dissent, argued that Eisenstadt held that the Constitution protects people as individuals, not as family units. He then reasoned that because state intrusions are equally burdensome on an individual's personal life regardless of his marital status or sexual orientation, there is no reason to treat the rights of citizens in same-sex couples any differently.By the time of the Lawrence decision, ten states—Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, Utah, and Virginia—still banned consensual sodomy without respect to the sex of those involved, and four—Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri (partially)—prohibited same-sex couples from engaging in anal and oral sex. History Arrest of Lawrence and Garner On September 17, 1998, John Geddes Lawrence Jr., a gay 55-year-old medical technologist, was hosting two gay acquaintances, Tyron Garner, age 31, and Robert Eubanks, 40, at his apartment in northeast Harris County, Texas, east of the Houston city limits. Lawrence and Eubanks had been friends for more than 20 years. Garner and Eubanks had had an intermittent romantic relationship since 1990. Lacking transportation home, the couple were preparing to spend the night. Eubanks, who had been drinking heavily, left to purchase a soda from a nearby vending machine. Apparently outraged that Lawrence had been flirting with Garner, he called police and reported "a black male going crazy with a gun" at Lawrence.... Discover the Leighann Dobbs popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Leighann Dobbs books.

Best Seller Leighann Dobbs Books of 2024

  • A Grave Mistake synopsis, comments

    A Grave Mistake

    Leighann Dobbs

    When a mutilated body shows up in their seaside town of Noquitt Maine, the Blackmoore sisters realize that an ancient relic they've been trying to locate has been hidden under thei...

  • Hidden Secrets synopsis, comments

    Hidden Secrets

    Leighann Dobbs

    Morgan Blackmoore has a secret, and she's desperate to hide it from her sisters. So when local paranormal healer Clementine Vega is murdered and Morgan is accused of the crime, she...

  • Tempting The Rival synopsis, comments

    Tempting The Rival

    Leighann Dobbs

    When newlyminted spy Lord Gideon Graylocke is asked to put his botany skills to the test and concoct a serum vital to the defense of England, he eagerly agrees. Never mind that he ...

  • Wrong Side of the Claw synopsis, comments

    Wrong Side of the Claw

    Leighann Dobbs

    Bookstore owner Willa Chance has no idea that things in Mystic Notch are about to take a turn for the worse.

 When a string of robberies escalates to murder, Willa is baffled...

  • Heist Society synopsis, comments

    Heist Society

    Leighann Dobbs

    It was the worst assignment of Kate Diamond’s career.  Worse than the time she had to jump over a snake pit. Worse than the time she had to steal a ruby from an ice hotel and ...

  • Ghostly Paws synopsis, comments

    Ghostly Paws

    Leighann Dobbs

    USA Today Bestseller First Place winner Animal Mystery Category – 2015 Mystery & Mayhem Chanticleer Awards! Middle age can be murder … At least that's how it se...

  • Cranky Campground Crush synopsis, comments

    Cranky Campground Crush

    Leighann Dobbs

    He wanted to be left alone. She didn't even want to be there. If they could just stay out of each others way for one week….Ethan Thomas is disillusioned after selling his company f...

  • Hidden Agemda synopsis, comments

    Hidden Agemda

    Leighann Dobbs

    The Millenia Ruby is stolen from the Ritzholdt Museum and insurance investigator Kate Diamond will stop at nothing to retrieve it ... even if it means getting shot at, impersonatin...

  • Captivating The Captain synopsis, comments

    Captivating The Captain

    Leighann Dobbs

    Charlotte Vale isn’t just a pretty debutante like London society thinks she is. Behind her golden curls and blue eyes is a soul that craves adventure. She won’t be happy living a s...

  • Charming The Spy synopsis, comments

    Charming The Spy

    Leighann Dobbs

    f there’s anything Joy “Rocky” Rookwood loves more than the plants she tends to at Tenwick Abbey its a challenge, that’s precisely why she’s agreed to become the latest spy in Morg...

  • Thanksgiving Dinner Death synopsis, comments

    Thanksgiving Dinner Death

    Leighann Dobbs

    A new month, a new holiday, and Juniper Holiday is ready for stuffing to happen! This year, Juniper has invited most of Crescent Cove to her Thanksgiving feast. Even that annoying ...

  • Brownies, Bodies and Bad Guys synopsis, comments

    Brownies, Bodies and Bad Guys

    Leighann Dobbs

    When a retired mobster ends up murdered and one of her grandmother's best friends is the last one to see him alive, Lexy Baker can kiss her plans to spend an uneventful summer drea...

  • Brutal Brulee synopsis, comments

    Brutal Brulee

    Leighann Dobbs

    A creepy haunted mansion that has been abandoned for decades, a cat that appears out of nowhere and a murder in a locked room are just par for the course for bakery owner Lexy Bake...

  • Burning Justice synopsis, comments

    Burning Justice

    Leighann Dobbs

    New series from USA Today Bestselling Author Leighann Dobbs "In the year 2075 one thing remains the same ... murder." Private Investigator Callie Justice wants nothing to do with...

  • Deceiving The Duke synopsis, comments

    Deceiving The Duke

    Leighann Dobbs

    Wellmannered women don't have careers in 1806 so Philomena St. Gobain disguises herself as a man to attend the Society for the Advancement of Science meetings where she sells her i...

  • Fatal Fortune synopsis, comments

    Fatal Fortune

    Leighann Dobbs

    A cryptic note leads the Blackmoore sisters to a haunted island in the Atlantic Ocean. Many have looked for the treasures reported to be buried there by pirates decades ago, but pr...

  • Spirited Tail synopsis, comments

    Spirited Tail

    Leighann Dobbs

    Middleaged bookstore owner Willa Chance is looking forward to the opportunity of appraising a valuable private library that hasn't seen the light of day for fifty years ... until s...

  • Murder by Misunderstanding synopsis, comments

    Murder by Misunderstanding

    Leighann Dobbs

    Mystery novelist Hazel Martin’s maid suspects foul play when her childhood friend Doris jumps from the thirdstory turret of Farnsworth Abbey. Unable to resist an investigation, esp...

  • Spell Found synopsis, comments

    Spell Found

    Leighann Dobbs

    When the Blackmoore sisters travel to Salem Massachusetts in search of an ancient energy infused relic that has been hidden away since the 1692 Salem witch trials, they find themse...

  • Starfish Cottage synopsis, comments

    Starfish Cottage

    Meredith Summers

    Is the secret hidden inside Starfish Cottage enough to save an entire town? Maddie Montgomery has finally found her slice of heaven a charming cottage on the sugarsand beach of Sh...

  • Murder at Lowry House synopsis, comments

    Murder at Lowry House

    Leighann Dobbs

    USA Today Bestselling Author Leighann Dobbs brings back the spirit of the Golden Age of mysteries in this classic whodunit set in the 1920s. When mystery novelist Hazel Martin rec...

  • A Crabby Killer synopsis, comments

    A Crabby Killer

    Leighann Dobbs

    How far will the Islanders go protect one of their own?  When the body of an 'outsider' is found stuffed in the crab boil pot right before the opening of Mooseamuck Island's a...

  • Probable Paws synopsis, comments

    Probable Paws

    Leighann Dobbs

    Middleaged bookstore owner Willa Chance is often haunted by ghosts who want her to do their bidding. Usually it involves the nasty business of bringing their killer to justice, so ...

  • Assault And Buttercream synopsis, comments

    Assault And Buttercream

    Leighann Dobbs

    It's the annual Brooke Ridge Falls dog show and Lexy is excited to cater the event. She's not going to let the murder at the Doggy Diva pet salon put a damper on things for her. Sh...

  • Masquerade Party Murder synopsis, comments

    Masquerade Party Murder

    Leighann Dobbs

    When Juniper Holiday invited guests to her latest party to see the new year in with a bang, she didn’t mean from a gun. But when Mayor Berkshaw is shot dead at the stroke of midnig...

  • Kissing The Enemy synopsis, comments

    Kissing The Enemy

    Leighann Dobbs

    Frederica Vale is about to cause a scandal that will make her a target of the most dangerous spy network in England. London, 1806. Fredrica “Freddie” Vale would do anything to prot...

  • Deadly Intentions synopsis, comments

    Deadly Intentions

    Leighann Dobbs

    What really happened to Johanna Blackmoore seven years ago?Jolene Blackmoore has been asking that question about her mother's mysterious death for a long time ... and now she's det...

  • Ancient Hiss Story synopsis, comments

    Ancient Hiss Story

    Leighann Dobbs

    When a routine assignment to acquire an old painting takes a turn for the worse, museum insurance investigator, Kate Diamond, finds herself in the midst of an unusual treasure hunt...

  • A Spell Of Trouble synopsis, comments

    A Spell Of Trouble

    Leighann Dobbs

    Isolde Quinn wants to fly under the radar of the paranormal police, but that's going to be hard to do when her least favorite person dies in front of her magical pet store. Wh...

  • Claw and Order synopsis, comments

    Claw and Order

    Leighann Dobbs

    Bookstore owner Willa Chance had no idea that a magical key was hidden in the old recipe book that she sold to food blogger Mary Ashford. Luckily the key is now safely tucked away ...

  • Killer Cupcakes synopsis, comments

    Killer Cupcakes

    Leighann Dobbs

    Hilarious whodunit with quirky characters for fans of Golden Girls and Murder She Wrote. A clean, fun read. The Lexy Baker series is definitely a page turner!Things are going ...

  • Seaside Bookclub synopsis, comments

    Seaside Bookclub

    Meredith Summers

    At age seventy, Bunny Howard is determined to prove that she is just as useful as anyone else. Who knew it would be the new bookclub at Tides that would provide the opportunity? Th...

  • Making Waves synopsis, comments

    Making Waves

    Meredith Summers

    Maxi’s life is about to change, but not in the way she expects... Maxi Stevens is at a crossroads. Things between her and James haven’t been the same since their kids left the nest...

  • An Invitation To Murder synopsis, comments

    An Invitation To Murder

    Leighann Dobbs

    Lady Katherine only has one week to catch the PinkRibbon Killer. Not only to stop the killing, but also to prove her skills at detection to her father and win her dowry and indepen...

  • Campfire Cover-Up synopsis, comments

    Campfire Cover-Up

    Meredith Summers

    She's just what he needs to mend his broken heart. Too bad they can't stand each other.Jordan Thomas is only in Sweet Mountain, Montana to make amends with her brother, Ethan, but ...

  • Halloween Party Murder synopsis, comments

    Halloween Party Murder

    Leighann Dobbs

    Everyone knows a Juniper Holiday Halloween party is to die for. To get an invite is the most talked about topic in Crescent Cove. To experience the Holiday mansion in all its (supp...

  • Shifting Sands synopsis, comments

    Shifting Sands

    Meredith Summers

    Andie Miller may have made a terrible mistake in moving back to Lobster Bay. Andie always wanted something more than smalltown beach life. That’s why she worked so hard at her pres...

  • Teatime Pastries and Punishments synopsis, comments

    Teatime Pastries and Punishments

    Leighann Dobbs

    A Classic English Village Whodunit that combines characters from two of USA Today Bestselling Author Leighann Dobbs’ most beloved series in a humorous whodunit that will keep you g...

  • A Zen for Murder synopsis, comments

    A Zen for Murder

    Leighann Dobbs

    A Classic Whodunit with Senior Sleuths Tourist season is about to start, and murder is the last thing on the minds of the locals in Mooseamuck Island, Maine ... but that's about ...

  • Pursuing The Traitor synopsis, comments

    Pursuing The Traitor

    Leighann Dobbs

    When Lucy Graylocke intercepts a message meant for her spymaster brother regarding the dangerous French spy Monsieur V., she arranges a trip to London to catch the spy herself. Aft...

  • Wedded Blintz synopsis, comments

    Wedded Blintz

    Leighann Dobbs

    Lexy Baker is finally tying the knot with hunky homicide detective Jack Perillo. She's planned the perfect wedding right down to her custom designed gown. Nothing can go wrong.... ...

  • 3 Bodies And A Biscotti synopsis, comments

    3 Bodies And A Biscotti

    Leighann Dobbs

    There's a serial killer on the loose. And Lexy Baker's grandmother, Nans, could be the next victim.The bodies are piling up at the Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center. Healthy peop...

  • Reluctant Romance synopsis, comments

    Reluctant Romance

    Leighann Dobbs

    Risa Kennedy will stop at nothing to save her company. Connor Dunn is a ruthless corporate executive who only cares about the profits. When the two are pitted against each other in...

  • Dead Wrong synopsis, comments

    Dead Wrong

    Leighann Dobbs

    Charmed meets Nancy Drew in this pageturning paranormal cozy mystery series. WINNER Best Mystery Romance Indie Romance Convention Awards Strange things are happening to the Blackm...

  • Cabin Complications synopsis, comments

    Cabin Complications

    Meredith Summers

    Tonya Fielding has made a career out of writing about ordinary people that do extraordinary things. Just this once she wishes she could be the person that does something extraordin...

  • A Treacherous Treasure synopsis, comments

    A Treacherous Treasure

    Leighann Dobbs

    Rumor has it that Captain Kidd buried treasure on Mooseamuck Island.  But when an old pirate chest is unearthed, the contents reveal a deadly surprise that plunges the island ...