Quern v. Jordan
440 U.S. 332 · Decided March 5, 1979 · 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
Quern v. Jordan was decided on March 5, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 440 U.S. 332 · 99 S. Ct. 1139 · 59 L. Ed. 2d 358 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 67
- Docket number
- 77-841
- Decided
- March 5, 1979
- Argued
- November 8, 1978
- Court era
- Burger 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- 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. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Quern, Director, Department of Public Aid of Illinois v. Jordan
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-051, docket 1978-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Califano v. WestcottLaw held unconstitutional
- Cleland v. National College of Business
- Califano v. Torres
- Zablocki v. RedhailLaw held unconstitutional
- Harris v. Rosario
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Lake Country Estates, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
- Nevada v. Hall
- Alabama v. Pugh
- Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle
- Cory v. White
- Florida Department of State v. Treasure Salvors, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Trustees of Keene State College v. Sweeney
- Dougherty County v. White
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Lalli v. Lalli
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw 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