Bowen v. Owens
476 U.S. 340 · Decided May 19, 1986 · 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. Owens was decided on May 19, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 476 U.S. 340 · 106 S. Ct. 1881 · 90 L. Ed. 2d 316 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 159
- Docket number
- 84-1905
- Decided
- May 19, 1986
- Argued
- February 26, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Owens et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-087, docket 1985-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Lyng v. Castillo
- Green v. Mansour
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Richard A. Lyng v. International Union
- Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools
- Blum v. Yaretsky
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Bowen v. City of New York
- Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment
- Bowen v. Yuckert
- Schweiker v. Chilicky
- Heckler v. Mathews
- Heckler v. Campbell
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
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