Califano v. Jobst
434 U.S. 47 · Decided November 8, 1977 · 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
Califano v. Jobst was decided on November 8, 1977 unanimously (9–0). 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
- 434 U.S. 47 · 98 S. Ct. 95 · 54 L. Ed. 2d 228 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 154
- Docket number
- 76-860
- Decided
- November 8, 1977
- Argued
- October 4, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Califano, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Jobst
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-007, docket 1977-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Zablocki v. RedhailLaw held unconstitutional
- Califano v. Torres
- Cleland v. National College of Business
- Knebel v. Hein
- Califano v. Aznavorian
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- United States v. Antelope
- Alexander v. Fioto
- Califano v. Webster
- Delaware Tribal Business Committee v. Weeks
- Vance v. Bradley
- Mathews v. Lucas
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Nashville Gas Co. v. Satty
- Richmond Unified School District v. Berg
- United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
- Zablocki v. RedhailLaw held unconstitutional
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