Sullivan v. Zebley
493 U.S. 521 · Decided February 20, 1990 · 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
Sullivan v. Zebley was decided on February 20, 1990 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
Case details
- Citations
- 493 U.S. 521 · 110 S. Ct. 885 · 107 L. Ed. 2d 967 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 882
- Docket number
- 88-1377
- Decided
- February 20, 1990
- Argued
- November 28, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Supplemental Security Income
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Zebley et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-027, docket 1989-027-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Sandra Everhart
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Elizabeth Stroop
- Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins
- Bowen v. Yuckert
- Lukhard v. Reed
- Henry G. Cisneros v. Alpine Ridge Group
Cases on the same legal provision: Supplemental Security Income
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
- Louis W. Sullivan v. Sandra Everhart
- Marlus C. Zinermon v. Darrell E. Burch
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Ngiraingas v. Sanchez
- Duro v. Reina
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