Califano v. Torres
435 U.S. 1 · Decided February 27, 1978 · 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. Torres was decided on February 27, 1978 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 1 · 98 S. Ct. 906 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 65 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 62
- Docket number
- 77-88
- Decided
- February 27, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Califano, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Torres
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-040, docket 1977-040-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Cleland v. National College of Business
- Zablocki v. RedhailLaw held unconstitutional
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Califano v. Jobst
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Quern v. Jordan
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Califano v. GoldfarbLaw held unconstitutional
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Califano v. Yamasaki
- New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Heckler v. Campbell
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Califano v. Jobst
- 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
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