Heckler v. Turner
470 U.S. 184 · Decided February 27, 1985 · 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. Turner was decided on February 27, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 470 U.S. 184 · 105 S. Ct. 1138 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 138 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 56
- Docket number
- 83-1097
- Decided
- February 27, 1985
- Argued
- October 9, 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Heckler, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Turner et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-037, docket 1984-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler
- Heckler v. Day
- Heckler v. Community Health Services of Crawford County, Inc.
- Heckler v. Ringer
- Atkins v. Rivera
- Heckler v. Campbell
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Dandridge v. Williams
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
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