Richardson v. Wright
405 U.S. 208 · Decided February 24, 1972 · 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
Richardson v. Wright was decided on February 24, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. 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
- 405 U.S. 208 · 92 S. Ct. 788 · 31 L. Ed. 2d 151 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 88
- Docket number
- 70-161
- Decided
- February 24, 1972
- Argued
- January 13, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 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 O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Richardson, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare v. Wright et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-066, docket 1971-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Poverty law, statutory welfare benefits”
- Carleson v. Remillard
- Engelman v. Amos
- California Department of Human Resources Development v. Java
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino
- Lampton v. Bonin
Cases on the same legal provision: Social Security Act
- Richardson v. Perales
- Hopkins v. Cohen
- Mathews v. de Castro
- Califano v. GoldfarbLaw held unconstitutional
- Califano v. Torres
- Heckler v. Mathews
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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