Harris v. Rosario
446 U.S. 651 · Decided May 27, 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. Rosario was decided on May 27, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. 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
- 446 U.S. 651 · 100 S. Ct. 1929 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 587 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 106
- Docket number
- 79-1294
- Decided
- May 27, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- 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. | Jurisdictional dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Harris, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Rosario et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-097, docket 1979-097-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Association
- Schweiker v. Wilson
- Califano v. WestcottLaw held unconstitutional
- Quern v. Jordan
- Califano v. Aznavorian
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Califano v. Boles
- Davis v. Passman
- Vance v. Bradley
- United States v. Antelope
- Alexander v. Fioto
- Califano v. Webster
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
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