Bowen v. Gilliard
483 U.S. 587 · Decided June 25, 1987 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Bowen v. Gilliard was decided on June 25, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 483 U.S. 587 · 107 S. Ct. 3008 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 485 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2896
- Docket number
- 86-509
- Decided
- June 25, 1987
- Argued
- April 22, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Gilliard et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-157, docket 1986-157-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Richard A. Lyng v. International Union
- Lyng v. Castillo
- Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools
- Bowen v. Owens
- Green v. Mansour
- Blum v. Yaretsky
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Lukhard v. Reed
- Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins
- Heckler v. Turner
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Elizabeth Stroop
- Eloise Anderson v. Verna Edwards, Etc.
- Miller v. Youakim
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error