Carleson, Director, Department of Social Welfare, et al. v. Remillard et al.

Decided June 7, 1972. William Orville Douglas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 70-250 · 406 U.S. 598 (1972) · Cited 198 times

Holding

Section 402(a)(10) of the Social Security Act imposes on each State participating in the AFDC program the requirement that benefits 'shall be furnished with reasonable promptness to all eligible individuals.' Under the Act the eligibility criterion of 'continued absence' of a parent from the home means that the parent may be absent for any reason.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 9–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• King v. Smith · 392 U.S. 309 (1968)
• Townsend v. Swank · 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
• Lewis v. Martin · 397 U.S. 552 (1970)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Burns v. Alcala · 420 U.S. 575 (1975)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 451 U.S. 1 (1981)
• New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino · 413 U.S. 405 (1973)
• Quern v. Mandley · 436 U.S. 725 (1978)
• Hagans v. Lavine · 415 U.S. 528 (1974)
• Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization · 441 U.S. 600 (1979)
• Batterton v. Francis · 432 U.S. 416 (1977)
• Philbrook v. Glodgett · 421 U.S. 707 (1975)
• Miller v. Youakim · 440 U.S. 125 (1979)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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William Orville Douglas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1972). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).