Edelman v. Jordan
415 U.S. 651 · Decided March 25, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Edelman v. Jordan was decided on March 25, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 415 U.S. 651 · 94 S. Ct. 1347 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 662 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 115
- Docket number
- 72-1410
- Decided
- March 25, 1974
- Argued
- December 12, 1973
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Edelman, Director, Department of Public Aid of Illinois v. Jordan
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-077, docket 1973-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- United States Department of Agriculture v. MurryLaw held unconstitutional
- United States Department of Agriculture v. MorenoLaw held unconstitutional
- San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
- Weinberger v. Salfi
- Jefferson v. Hackney
- Mathews v. Eldridge
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Scheuer v. Rhodes
- Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle
- Alabama v. Pugh
- Lake Country Estates, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
- Nevada v. Hall
- Cory v. White
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hibi
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Espinoza et Vir v. Farah Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- O'Brien v. SkinnerLaw 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