Heckler v. Ringer
466 U.S. 602 · Decided May 14, 1984 · 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
Heckler v. Ringer was decided on May 14, 1984 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 466 U.S. 602 · 104 S. Ct. 2013 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 622 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 77
- Docket number
- 82-1772
- Decided
- May 14, 1984
- Argued
- February 27, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Medicare (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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Heckler, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Ringer et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-089, docket 1983-089-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Heckler v. Community Health Services of Crawford County, Inc.
- Heckler v. Day
- Heckler v. Turner
- Heckler v. Campbell
- Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler
- Blum v. BaconLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Medicare (Social Security Act)
- Schweiker v. McClure
- United States v. Erika, Inc.
- Bowen v. Michigan Academy of Family Physicians
- Bethesda Hospital Association v. Otis R. Bowen
- Bowen v. Georgetown University Hospital
- Good Samaritan Hospital v. Donna E. Shalala
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Phinpathya
- Migra v. Warren City School District Board of Education
- United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden
- McCain v. Lybrand
- Solem v. Bartlett
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone
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