United States Department of Agriculture v. Murry
413 U.S. 508 · Decided June 25, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States Department of Agriculture v. Murry was decided on June 25, 1973 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 413 U.S. 508 · 93 S. Ct. 2832 · 37 L. Ed. 2d 767 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 32
- Docket number
- 72-848
- Decided
- June 25, 1973
- Argued
- April 23, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 2012
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States Department of Agriculture et al. v. Murry et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-175, docket 1972-175-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- United States Department of Agriculture v. MorenoLaw held unconstitutional
- San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
- Edelman v. JordanAltered precedent
- Jefferson v. Hackney
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- District of Columbia v. Carter
- United States v. Kras
- Goosby v. Osser
- Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
- Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
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