Louis W. Sullivan v. Sandra Everhart
494 U.S. 83 · Decided February 21, 1990 · 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
Louis W. Sullivan v. Sandra Everhart was decided on February 21, 1990 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 494 U.S. 83 · 110 S. Ct. 960 · 108 L. Ed. 2d 72 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 1054
- Docket number
- 88-1323
- Decided
- February 21, 1990
- Argued
- November 27, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 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 | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent |
Full case caption
Louis W. Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al. v. Sandra Everhart et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-032, docket 1989-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Sullivan v. Zebley
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Elizabeth Stroop
- Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins
- Bowen v. Yuckert
- Lukhard v. Reed
- Henry G. Cisneros v. Alpine Ridge Group
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Schweiker v. Chilicky
- Sue Suter v. Artist M.
- Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment
- Bowen v. City of New York
- Bowen v. Owens
- Heckler v. Mathews
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
- Sullivan v. Zebley
- Marlus C. Zinermon v. Darrell E. Burch
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Ngiraingas v. Sanchez
- Duro v. Reina
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