Van Lare v. Hurley
421 U.S. 338 · Decided May 19, 1975 · 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
Van Lare v. Hurley was decided on May 19, 1975 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 421 U.S. 338 · 95 S. Ct. 1741 · 44 L. Ed. 2d 208 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 62
- Docket number
- 74-453
- Decided
- May 19, 1975
- Argued
- March 26, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Van Lare, Acting Commissioner, Department of Social Services of New York, et al. v. Hurley et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-095, docket 1974-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Philbrook v. Glodgett
- Roe v. Norton
- Lascaris v. Shirley
- Burns v. Alcala
- Youakim v. Miller
- Shea v. Vialpando
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Saxbe v. Bustos
- Schick v. Reed
- Sosna v. Iowa
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Mazurie
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