Lascaris v. Shirley
420 U.S. 730 · Decided March 19, 1975 · 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
Lascaris v. Shirley was decided on March 19, 1975 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed 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, statutory welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 420 U.S. 730 · 95 S. Ct. 1190 · 43 L. Ed. 2d 583 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 49
- Docket number
- 73-1016
- Decided
- March 19, 1975
- Argued
- December 18, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Lascaris, Commissioner, Department of Social Services of Onondaga County v. Shirley et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-074, docket 1974-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Burns v. Alcala
- Van Lare v. Hurley
- Philbrook v. Glodgett
- Roe v. Norton
- Shea v. Vialpando
- Hagans v. Lavine
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Saxbe v. Bustos
- Schick v. Reed
- Sosna v. Iowa
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Mazurie
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