Califano v. Webster
430 U.S. 313 · Decided March 21, 1977 · 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
Califano v. Webster was decided on March 21, 1977 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed 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 “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 430 U.S. 313 · 97 S. Ct. 1192 · 51 L. Ed. 2d 360 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 5
- Docket number
- 76-457
- Decided
- March 21, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Sex discrimination (excluding employment)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Califano, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Webster
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-067, docket 1976-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sex discrimination (excluding employment)”
- Califano v. GoldfarbLaw held unconstitutional
- Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia
- Stanton v. Stanton
- Craig v. BorenAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Alexander v. Fioto
- Delaware Tribal Business Committee v. Weeks
- United States v. Antelope
- Knebel v. Hein
- Califano v. Jobst
- Mathews v. Lucas
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Bagamasbad
- General Electric Co. v. Gilbert
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Craig v. BorenAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- International Union of Electrical v. Robbins & Myers, Inc.
- Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.
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