Wheeler v. Montgomery
397 U.S. 280 · Decided March 23, 1970 · 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
Wheeler v. Montgomery was decided on March 23, 1970 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 397 U.S. 280 · 90 S. Ct. 1026 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 307 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 58
- Docket number
- 14
- Decided
- March 23, 1970
- Argued
- October 13, 1969
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Wheeler et al. v. Montgomery, Director, Department of Social Welfare of California, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-063, docket 1969-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Goldberg v. Kelly
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Daniel v. Goliday
- Wyman v. Rothstein
- Robinson v. Johnson
- Montgomery v. Burns
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- In re WinshipLaw held unconstitutional
- Santana v. Texas
- Richard S. v. City of New York
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Sniadach v. Family Finance Corp. of Bay ViewLaw held unconstitutional
- Boykin v. Alabama
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education
- Brockington v. Rhodes
- Hall et Ux. v. Beals
- Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board
- Sullivan v. Little Hunting Park, Inc.
- Dowell v. Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools
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