Pennhurst State School and Hospital et al. v. Halderman et al.

Decided January 23, 1984. Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 81-2101 · 465 U.S. 89 (1984) · Cited 8,956 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 5–4.

“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.

• Larson v. Domestic and Foreign Commerce Corp. · 337 U.S. 682 (1949)
• Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
• Florida Department of State v. Treasure Salvors, Inc. · 458 U.S. 670 (1982)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 451 U.S. 1 (1981)
• Land v. Dollar · 330 U.S. 731 (1947)
• Malone v. Bowdoin · 369 U.S. 643 (1962)
• Quern v. Jordan · 440 U.S. 332 (1979)
• Alabama v. Pugh · 438 U.S. 781 (1978)
• Rolston. v. Missouri Fund Commissioners · 120 U.S. 390 (1887)
• Employees of Department of Public Health v. Department of Public Health · 411 U.S. 279 (1973)
• United Mine Workers of America v. Gibbs · 383 U.S. 715 (1966)
• Nevada v. Hall · 440 U.S. 410 (1979)
• Greene v. Louisville & Interurban Railroad · 244 U.S. 499 (1917)
• Missouri v. Fiske · 290 U.S. 18 (1933)
• Ray v. Atlantic Richfield Co. · 435 U.S. 151 (1978)
• Great Northern Life Insurance Co. v. Read · 322 U.S. 47 (1944)
• Philadelphia Co. v. Stimson · 223 U.S. 605 (1912)
• Principality of Monaco v. Mississippi · 292 U.S. 313 (1934)
• Hopkins v. Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina · 221 U.S. 636 (1911)
• Tindal v. Wesley · 167 U.S. 204 (1897)
• Scheuer v. Rhodes · 416 U.S. 232 (1974)
• Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority · 297 U.S. 288 (1936)
• Osborn v. Bank of United States · 22 U.S. 738 (1824)
• Reagan v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. · 154 U.S. 362 (1894)
• Sloan Shipyards Corp. v. United States Shipping Bd. Emergency Fleet Corporation · 258 U.S. 549 (1922)
• Georgia Railroad & Banking Co. v. Redwine · 342 U.S. 299 (1952)
• Hagans v. Lavine · 415 U.S. 528 (1974)
• Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer · 427 U.S. 445 (1976)
• Ex Parte State of New York, No. 1 · 256 U.S. 490 (1921)
• Bates v. Clark · 95 U.S. 204 (1877)

Cited by

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

• Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho · 521 U.S. 261 (1997)
• Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon · 473 U.S. 234 (1985)
• Papasan v. Allain · 478 U.S. 265 (1986)
• Welch v. Texas Department of Highways & Public Transportation · 483 U.S. 468 (1987)
• Countyof Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation of NY · 470 U.S. 226 (1985)
• City of Chicago v. International College of Surgeons · 522 U.S. 156 (1997)
• Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Florida · 517 U.S. 44 (1996)
• Green v. Mansour · 474 U.S. 64 (1985)
• Raygor v. Regents of the University of Minnesota · 534 U.S. 533 (2002)
• College Savings Bank v. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board · 527 U.S. 666 (1999)
• Wisconsin Department of Corrections v. Schacht · 524 U.S. 381 (1998)
• Frew Ex Rel. Frew v. Hawkins · 540 U.S. 431 (2004)
• Branch v. Smith · 538 U.S. 254 (2003)
• Will v. Michigan Department of State Police · 491 U.S. 58 (1989)
• Delaware v. Van Arsdall · 475 U.S. 673 (1986)
• Alden v. Maine · 527 U.S. 706 (1999)
• Hess v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation · 513 U.S. 30 (1994)
• Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co. · 491 U.S. 1 (1989)
• Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. v. Feeney · 495 U.S. 299 (1990)
• Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak · 501 U.S. 775 (1991)
• Dellmuth v. Muth · 491 U.S. 223 (1989)
• Alabama v. North Carolina · 560 U.S. 330 (2010)
• Inyo County, California v. Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony · 538 U.S. 701 (2003)
• United States v. Miller · 604 U.S. 518 (2025)
• Kentucky v. Graham · 473 U.S. 159 (1985)
• Payne v. Tennessee · 501 U.S. 808 (1991)
• Harris v. Reed · 489 U.S. 255 (1989)
• Gonzaga University v. Doe · 536 U.S. 273 (2002)
• Nordlinger v. Hahn · 505 U.S. 1 (1992)
• Kimel v. Florida Board of Regents · 528 U.S. 62 (2000)

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).