Chapman, Commissioner, Department of Human Resources of Texas, et al. v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization et al.

Decided May 14, 1979. John Paul Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 77-719 · 441 U.S. 600 (1979) · Cited 1,521 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 6–3.

“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.

• Hagans v. Lavine · 415 U.S. 528 (1974)
• United States v. Price · 383 U.S. 787 (1966)
• Examining Bd. of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors v. Flores De Otero · 426 U.S. 572 (1976)
• Monroe v. Pape · 365 U.S. 167 (1961)
• Rosado v. Wyman · 397 U.S. 397 (1970)
• United States v. Guest · 383 U.S. 745 (1966)
• Lynch v. Household Finance Corp. · 405 U.S. 538 (1972)
• United States v. Mosley · 238 U.S. 383 (1915)
• Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
• Haguer v. Committee for Industrial Organization · 307 U.S. 496 (1939)
• Screws v. United States · 325 U.S. 91 (1945)
• Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. · 392 U.S. 409 (1968)
• Georgia v. Rachel · 384 U.S. 780 (1966)
• King v. Smith · 392 U.S. 309 (1968)
• City of Greenwood v. Peacock · 384 U.S. 808 (1966)
• Swift & Co. v. Wickham · 382 U.S. 111 (1965)
• Quern v. Mandley · 436 U.S. 725 (1978)
• Giles v. Harris · 189 U.S. 475 (1903)
• Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs. · 436 U.S. 658 (1978)
• United States v. Cruikshank · 92 U.S. 542 (1876)
• Townsend v. Swank · 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
• Van Lare v. Hurley · 421 U.S. 338 (1975)
• McNutt v. General Motors Acceptance Corp. · 298 U.S. 178 (1936)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States · 143 U.S. 457 (1892)
• Runyon v. McCrary · 427 U.S. 160 (1976)
• Mitchum v. Foster · 407 U.S. 225 (1972)
• Allen v. State Board of Elections · 393 U.S. 544 (1969)
• District of Columbia v. Carter · 409 U.S. 418 (1973)
• Jefferson v. Hackney · 406 U.S. 535 (1972)

Cited by

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

• Maine v. Thiboutot · 448 U.S. 1 (1980)
• Great American Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n v. Novotny · 442 U.S. 366 (1979)
• Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles · 493 U.S. 103 (1989)
• Dennis v. Higgins · 498 U.S. 439 (1991)
• Jett v. Dallas Independent School District · 491 U.S. 701 (1989)
• Maher v. Gagne · 448 U.S. 122 (1980)
• Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, Inc. · 575 U.S. 320 (2015)
• Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion Cty. v. Talevski · 599 U.S. 166 (2023)
• Fair Assessment in Real Estate Assn., Inc. v. McNary · 454 U.S. 100 (1981)
• Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic · 606 U.S. 357 (2025)
• City of Canton v. Harris · 489 U.S. 378 (1989)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 465 U.S. 89 (1984)
• Wilson v. Garcia · 471 U.S. 261 (1985)
• Davis v. Passman · 442 U.S. 228 (1979)
• Carlson v. Green · 446 U.S. 14 (1980)
• Gonzaga University v. Doe · 536 U.S. 273 (2002)
• Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc. · 527 U.S. 471 (1999)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 451 U.S. 1 (1981)
• Middlesex County Sewerage Authority v. National Sea Clammers Assn. · 453 U.S. 1 (1981)
• Schweiker v. Gray Panthers · 453 U.S. 34 (1981)
• Dickerson v. New Banner Institute, Inc. · 460 U.S. 103 (1983)
• Federal Aviation Administration v. Cooper · 566 U.S. 284 (2012)
• Nevada v. Hicks · 533 U.S. 353 (2001)
• Consolidated Rail Corporation v. Darrone · 465 U.S. 624 (1984)
• Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc. · 565 U.S. 606 (2012)
• Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority v. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. of Virginia · 464 U.S. 30 (1983)
• Nixon v. Missouri Municipal League · 541 U.S. 125 (2004)

Official text

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

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).