Cleland v. National College of Business
435 U.S. 213 · Decided March 20, 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
Cleland v. National College of Business was decided on March 20, 1978 by a vote of 8–1. 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. 213 · 98 S. Ct. 1024 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 225 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 67
- Docket number
- 77-716
- Decided
- March 20, 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
- 8–1
- 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
Cleland, Administrator of Veterans' Administration, et al. v. National College of Business
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-049, docket 1977-049-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Califano v. Torres
- 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: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- United States v. Antelope
- Vance v. Bradley
- Alexander v. Fioto
- Califano v. Webster
- Delaware Tribal Business Committee v. Weeks
- Davis v. Passman
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