Philbrook v. Glodgett
421 U.S. 707 · Decided June 9, 1975 · 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
Philbrook v. Glodgett was decided on June 9, 1975 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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
- 421 U.S. 707 · 95 S. Ct. 1893 · 44 L. Ed. 2d 525 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 71
- Docket number
- 73-1820
- Decided
- June 9, 1975
- Argued
- March 24, 1975
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 O. Douglas | Majority | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Philbrook, Commissioner, Department of Social Welfare v. Glodgett et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-113, docket 1974-113-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
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)
- Saxbe v. Bustos
- Schick v. Reed
- Sosna v. Iowa
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Taylor v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Mazurie
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