Richardson v. Perales
402 U.S. 389 · Decided May 3, 1971 · 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
Richardson v. Perales was decided on May 3, 1971 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 402 U.S. 389 · 91 S. Ct. 1420 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 842 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 103
- Docket number
- 108
- Decided
- May 3, 1971
- Argued
- January 13, 1971
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Richardson, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Perales
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-098, docket 1970-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation”
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
- Grunenthal v. Long Island Rail Road Co.
- Kelley v. Southern Pacific Co.
- Iacurci v. Lummus Co.
- Neely v. Martin K. Eby Construction Co., Inc.
- Albanese v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- California Department of Human Resources Development v. Java
- Richardson v. Wright
- Lampton v. Bonin
- Rosado v. Wyman
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Lines v. Frederick
- Hickel v. Oil Shale Corp.
- Atlantic City Electric Co. v. United States
- U.S. Bulk Carriers, Inc. v. Arguelles
- Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp.
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
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