Hagans v. Lavine
415 U.S. 528 · Decided March 25, 1974 · 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
Hagans v. Lavine was decided on March 25, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the 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
- 415 U.S. 528 · 94 S. Ct. 1372 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 577 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 33
- Docket number
- 72-6476
- Decided
- March 25, 1974
- Argued
- December 11, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1343
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Hagans et al. v. Lavine, Commissioner, New York Department of Social Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-074, docket 1973-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Shea v. Vialpando
- New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino
- Burns v. Alcala
- Lascaris v. Shirley
- Van Lare v. Hurley
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1343
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