Schweiker, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Wilson et al.

Decided March 4, 1981. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 79-1380 · 450 U.S. 221 (1981) · Cited 721 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.

• United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz · 449 U.S. 166 (1980)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Weinberger v. Salfi · 422 U.S. 749 (1975)
• Mathews v. De Castro · 429 U.S. 181 (1976)
• Califano v. Aznavorian · 439 U.S. 170 (1978)
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez · 411 U.S. 1 (1973)
• Lindsley v. Natural Carbonic Gas Co. · 220 U.S. 61 (1911)
• Frontiero v. Richardson · 411 U.S. 677 (1973)
• F. S. Royster Guano Co. v. Virginia · 253 U.S. 412 (1920)
• Richardson v. Belcher · 404 U.S. 78 (1971)
• United States Department of Agriculture v. Murry · 413 U.S. 508 (1973)
• Califano v. Torres · 435 U.S. 1 (1978)
• McGowan v. Maryland · 366 U.S. 420 (1961)
• Udall v. Tallman · 380 U.S. 1 (1965)
• Cannon v. University of Chicago · 441 U.S. 677 (1979)
• Personnel Administrator of Mass. v. Feeney · 442 U.S. 256 (1979)
• Massachusetts Board of Retirement v. Murgia · 427 U.S. 307 (1976)
• Maine v. Thiboutot · 448 U.S. 1 (1980)
• Harris v. McRae · 448 U.S. 297 (1980)
• Flemming v. Nestor · 363 U.S. 603 (1960)
• Vance v. Bradley · 440 U.S. 93 (1979)
• Johnson v. Robison · 415 U.S. 361 (1974)
• United States Department of Agriculture v. Moreno · 413 U.S. 528 (1973)
• Weber v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. · 406 U.S. 164 (1972)
• Maher v. Roe · 432 U.S. 464 (1977)
• Mathews v. Lucas · 427 U.S. 495 (1976)
• McGinnis v. Royster · 410 U.S. 263 (1973)
• Jefferson v. Hackney · 406 U.S. 535 (1972)
• Louisville Gas & Electric Co. v. Coleman · 277 U.S. 32 (1928)
• O'Bannon v. Town Court Nursing Center · 447 U.S. 773 (1980)

Cited by

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

• Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co. · 455 U.S. 422 (1982)
• Connecticut Department of Income Maintenance v. Heckler · 471 U.S. 524 (1985)
• Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Kennedy · 605 U.S. 1 (2025)
• Heller v. Doe Ex Rel. Doe · 509 U.S. 312 (1993)
• Schweiker v. Hogan · 457 U.S. 569 (1982)
• City of Los Angeles v. Preferred Communications, Inc. · 476 U.S. 488 (1986)
• City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. · 473 U.S. 432 (1985)
• Nordlinger v. Hahn · 505 U.S. 1 (1992)
• Heckler v. Ringer · 466 U.S. 602 (1984)
• Regan v. Taxation With Representation of Washington · 461 U.S. 540 (1983)
• Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic · 506 U.S. 263 (1993)
• Rostker v. Goldberg · 453 U.S. 57 (1981)
• Hodel v. Indiana · 452 U.S. 314 (1981)
• Williams v. Vermont · 472 U.S. 14 (1985)
• G. D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn · 455 U.S. 404 (1982)
• United States v. Vaello Madero · 596 U.S. 159 (2022)

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).