Herweg et Vir v. Ray
455 U.S. 265 · Decided February 23, 1982 · 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
Herweg et Vir v. Ray was decided on February 23, 1982 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 455 U.S. 265 · 102 S. Ct. 1059 · 71 L. Ed. 2d 137 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 71
- Docket number
- 80-60
- Decided
- February 23, 1982
- Argued
- January 13, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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)
- Liberal 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Herweg et Vir v. Ray, Governor of Iowa, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-041, docket 1981-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Blum v. BaconLaw held unconstitutional
- Schweiker v. Gray Panthers
- Beltran v. Myers
- Schweiker v. Hansen
- Heckler v. Campbell
- Heckler v. Ringer
Cases on the same legal provision: Medicaid (Social Security Act)
- Harris v. McRae
- Beal v. Doe
- L. Douglas Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association
- Astra USA, Inc. v. Santa Clara County
- Aldona Wos v. E. M. A.
- Gallardo v. Marstiller
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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