King v. Smith
392 U.S. 309 · Decided June 17, 1968 · 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
King v. Smith was decided on June 17, 1968 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren 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
- 392 U.S. 309 · 88 S. Ct. 2128 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1118 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1139
- Docket number
- 949
- Decided
- June 17, 1968
- Argued
- April 23, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
King, Commissioner, Department of Pensions and Security, et al. v. Smith et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-176, docket 1967-176-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Rosado v. Wyman
- Lewis v. Martin
- Lampton v. Bonin
- California Department of Human Resources Development v. Java
- Engelman v. Amos
- Richardson v. Wright
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Jones v. Georgia
- Roberts v. Lavallee
- Lucas v. RhodesLaw held unconstitutional
- Eagar v. Magma Copper Co.
- Rockefeller v. WellsLaw 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