Lewis v. Martin
397 U.S. 552 · Decided April 20, 1970 · 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
Lewis v. Martin was decided on April 20, 1970 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas 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
- 397 U.S. 552 · 90 S. Ct. 1282 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 561 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 48
- Docket number
- 829
- Decided
- April 20, 1970
- Argued
- March 3, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | 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 Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Lewis et al. v. Martin, Director, California Department of Social Welfare, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-075, docket 1969-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Lampton v. Bonin
- Rosado v. Wyman
- California Department of Human Resources Development v. Java
- Engelman v. Amos
- King v. Smith
- 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)
- Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education
- Brockington v. Rhodes
- Hall et Ux. v. Beals
- Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board
- Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park, Inc.
- Dowell v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools
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