Maher v. Doe
432 U.S. 526 · Decided June 20, 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
Maher v. Doe was decided on June 20, 1977 unanimously (9–0). 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, statutory welfare benefits” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 432 U.S. 526 · 97 S. Ct. 2474 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 534 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 132
- Docket number
- 76-878
- Decided
- June 20, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated 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)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (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 Potter Stewart | 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 |
Full case caption
Maher, Commissioner of Social Services of Connecticut v. Doe et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-158, docket 1976-158-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Batterton v. Francis
- Ohio Bureau of Employment Services v. Hodory
- Quern v. Mandley
- Youakim v. Miller
- Miller v. Youakim
- Alexander v. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Cases on the same legal provision: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Social Security Act)
- Townsend v. SwankLaw held unconstitutional
- Dandridge v. Williams
- Bowen v. Gilliard
- Linda J. Blessing v. Cathy Freestone, Etc.
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