Bowen v. Yuckert
482 U.S. 137 · Decided June 8, 1987 · 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
Bowen v. Yuckert was decided on June 8, 1987 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell 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
- 482 U.S. 137 · 107 S. Ct. 2287 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 119 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2477
- Docket number
- 85-1409
- Decided
- June 8, 1987
- Argued
- January 13, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Social Security Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Bowen, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Yuckert
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-113, docket 1986-113-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Lukhard v. Reed
- Sandra Gardebring v. Kathryn Jenkins
- Atkins v. Rivera
- Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler
- Heckler v. Turner
- Sullivan v. Zebley
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Bowen v. Public Agencies Opposed to Social Security Entrapment
- Bowen v. City of New York
- Schweiker v. Chilicky
- Bowen v. Owens
- Heckler v. Mathews
- Sue Suter v. Artist M.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hector
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- California Federal Savings & Loan Assn. v. Guerra
- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
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