Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler
471 U.S. 524 · Decided May 20, 1985 · 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
Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler was decided on May 20, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 471 U.S. 524 · 105 S. Ct. 2210 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 577 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 83-2136
- Decided
- May 20, 1985
- Argued
- March 27, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Medicaid (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. | 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 | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-099, docket 1984-099-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Heckler v. Turner
- Heckler v. Day
- Heckler v. Community Health Services of Crawford County, Inc.
- Heckler v. Ringer
- Atkins v. Rivera
- Lukhard v. Reed
Cases on the same legal provision: Medicaid (Social Security Act)
- Harris v. McRae
- L. Douglas Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association
- Beal v. Doe
- Astra USA, Inc. v. Santa Clara County
- Aldona Wos v. E. M. A.
- Gallardo v. Marstiller
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
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