Harris v. McRae
448 U.S. 297 · Decided June 30, 1980 · 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
Harris v. McRae was decided on June 30, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Abortion and contraceptives” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 448 U.S. 297 · 100 S. Ct. 2671 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 784 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 145
- Docket number
- 79-1268
- Decided
- June 30, 1980
- Argued
- April 21, 1980
- 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
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Abortion and contraceptives
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Medicaid (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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Harris, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. McRae et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-148, docket 1979-148-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Abortion and contraceptives”
- Williams v. Zbaraz
- H. L. v. Matheson
- Bellotti v. BairdLaw held unconstitutional
- Anders v. Floyd
- Colautti v. FranklinLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Medicaid (Social Security Act)
- Beltran v. Myers
- Schweiker v. Gray Panthers
- Herweg et Vir v. Ray
- Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler
- Atkins v. Rivera
- L. Douglas Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Forsham v. Harris
- GTE Sylvania, Inc. v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
- Williams v. Zbaraz
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