Mathews v. Diaz
426 U.S. 67 · Decided June 1, 1976 · 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
Mathews v. Diaz was decided on June 1, 1976 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 426 U.S. 67 · 96 S. Ct. 1883 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 478 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 73-1046
- Decided
- June 1, 1976
- Argued
- January 13, 1975
- Reargued
- January 12, 1976
- 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Immigration, welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Mathews, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Diaz et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-107, docket 1975-107-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, welfare benefits”
- Graham v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
- United States Department of State v. Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Hampton v. Mow Sun WongLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Agurs
- Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co.
- Mathews v. Eldridge
- Moody v. Daggett
- United States v. Powell
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Turner v. Department of Employment Security of UtahLaw held unconstitutional
- Mathews v. Eldridge
- De Canas v. Bica
- Fisher v. District Court of the Sixteenth Judicial District of Montana
- Imbler v. Pachtman
- Lavine v. Milne
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