Schweiker v. Hansen
450 U.S. 785 · Decided April 6, 1981 · 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
Schweiker v. Hansen was decided on April 6, 1981 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 450 U.S. 785 · 101 S. Ct. 1468 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 685 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 85
- Docket number
- 80-1162
- Decided
- April 6, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Estoppel
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | 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 | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Schweiker, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Hansen
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-068, docket 1980-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Beltran v. Myers
- Schweiker v. Gray Panthers
- Herweg et Vir v. Ray
- Blum v. BaconLaw held unconstitutional
- Califano v. Yamasaki
- Alexander v. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cases on the same legal provision: Estoppel
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Miranda
- Montana v. United States
- Parklane Hosiery Co., Inc. v. Shore
- United States v. Mendoza
- United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co.
- Kadrmas v. Dickinson Public Schools
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Dennis v. Sparks
- Allen v. McCurry
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Delaware State College v. Ricks
- Fedorenko v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Associated Dry Goods Corp.
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