Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment

477 U.S. 41 · Decided June 19, 1986 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment was decided on June 19, 1986 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Due process, takings clause” in the Due Process area.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1985-117, docket 1985-117-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Due process, takings clause”

• Lyng v. Payne
  476 U.S. 926Decided June 16, 19868–1Sandra Day O'Connor
• Macdonald v. County of Yolo
  477 U.S. 340Decided June 25, 19865–4John Paul Stevens
• Connolly v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  475 U.S. 211Decided February 26, 19869–0Byron R. White
• Federal Communications Commission v. Florida Power Corp.
  480 U.S. 245Decided February 25, 19879–0Thurgood Marshall
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Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act

• Bowen v. City of New York
  476 U.S. 467Decided June 2, 19869–0Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Bowen v. Owens
  476 U.S. 340Decided May 19, 19866–3Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Bowen v. Yuckert
  482 U.S. 137Decided June 8, 19876–3Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Schweiker v. Chilicky
  487 U.S. 412Decided June 24, 19886–3Sandra Day O'Connor
• Heckler v. Mathews
  465 U.S. 728Decided March 5, 19849–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• Heckler v. Campbell
  461 U.S. 458Decided May 16, 19838–1Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Same Term, same area (Due Process)

• Regents of the University of Michigan v. Ewing
  474 U.S. 214Decided December 12, 19859–0John Paul Stevens
• Connolly v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
  475 U.S. 211Decided February 26, 19869–0Byron R. White
• Aetna Life Insurance Co. v. Lavoie
  475 U.S. 813Decided April 22, 19868–0Warren E. Burger
• Lyng v. Payne
  476 U.S. 926Decided June 16, 19868–1Sandra Day O'Connor
• McMillan v. Pennsylvania
  477 U.S. 79Decided June 19, 19865–4William H. Rehnquist
• Macdonald v. County of Yolo
  477 U.S. 340Decided June 25, 19865–4John Paul Stevens

See all

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