Wyman v. Rothstein
398 U.S. 275 · Decided June 1, 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
Wyman v. Rothstein was decided on June 1, 1970 by a vote of 5–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Poverty law, constitutional” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 398 U.S. 275 · 90 S. Ct. 1582 · 26 L. Ed. 2d 218 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 33
- Docket number
- 896
- Decided
- June 1, 1970
- Argued
- April 27, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, constitutional
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Wyman, Commissioner of Social Services of New York, et al. v. Rothstein et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-103, docket 1969-103-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, constitutional”
- Daniel v. Goliday
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Goldberg v. Kelly
- Wheeler v. Montgomery
- James v. Valtierra
- Robinson v. Johnson
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