Schweiker v. Wilson
450 U.S. 221 · Decided March 4, 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. Wilson was decided on March 4, 1981 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 450 U.S. 221 · 101 S. Ct. 1074 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 186 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 74
- Docket number
- 79-1380
- Decided
- March 4, 1981
- Argued
- December 2, 1980
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
Schweiker, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Wilson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-048, docket 1980-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Association
- United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz
- Harris v. Rosario
- Schweiker v. Hogan
- Blum v. Yaretsky
- Califano v. WestcottLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Califano v. Boles
- Davis v. Passman
- Vance v. Bradley
- Hobby v. United States
- United States v. Antelope
- Alexander v. Fioto
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