Engelman v. Amos
404 U.S. 23 · Decided November 9, 1971 · 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
Engelman v. Amos was decided on November 9, 1971 unanimously (7–0). The Court affirmed 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, statutory welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 23 · 92 S. Ct. 181 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 143 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 13
- Docket number
- 70-33
- Decided
- November 9, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Engelman, Director, Division of Public Welfare, Dept. of Institutions and Agencies, et al. v. Amos et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-006, docket 1971-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Richardson v. Wright
- California Department of Human Resources Development v. Java
- Carleson v. Remillard
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Lampton v. Bonin
- Lewis v. Martin
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
- Britt v. North Carolina
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