Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins

485 U.S. 415 · Decided April 19, 1988 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins was decided on April 19, 1988 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Anthony M. Kennedy.

Full case caption

Sandra Gardebring, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services v. Kathryn Jenkins

SCDB identifiers: case 1987-060, docket 1987-060-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)

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Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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