Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman
465 U.S. 89 · Decided January 23, 1984 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman was decided on January 23, 1984 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 465 U.S. 89 · 104 S. Ct. 900 · 79 L. Ed. 2d 67 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 4
- Docket number
- 81-2101
- Decided
- January 23, 1984
- Argued
- February 22, 1983
- Reargued
- October 3, 1983
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Pennhurst State School and Hospital et al. v. Halderman et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-029, docket 1983-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- South Dakota v. Dole
- George S. Bennett v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Ray v. Atlantic Richfield Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Arizona v. California
- Florida Department of State v. Treasure Salvors, Inc.
- Cory v. White
- Green v. Mansour
- Papasan v. Allain
- Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Association
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Aloha Airlines, Inc. v. Director of Taxation of Hawaii
- South-Central Timber Development, Inc. v. Wunnicke
- Michigan Canners & Freezers Association, Inc. v. Agricultural Marketing and Bargaining Board
- Franchise Tax Board of California v. United States Postal Service
- Hayfield Northern Railroad Co., Inc. v. Chicago & North Western Transportation Co.
- Capital Cities Cable, Inc. v. Crisp
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