Townsend et al. v. Swank, Director, Department of Public Aid of Illinois, et al.

Decided December 20, 1971. William Joseph Brennan Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 70-5021 · 404 U.S. 282 (1971) · Cited 400 times

Holding

Under 402(a)(10) of the Social Security Act, a state participating plan under the AFDC program must provide that aid to families with dependent children shall be furnished with reasonable promptness to 'all eligible' individuals.

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 7–0.

“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)
• Dandridge v. Williams · 397 U.S. 471 (1970)
• Shapiro v. Thompson · 394 U.S. 618 (1969)
• Rosado v. Wyman · 397 U.S. 397 (1970)

Cited by

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

• Jefferson v. Hackney · 406 U.S. 535 (1972)
• New York State Department of Social Services v. Dublino · 413 U.S. 405 (1973)
• Carleson v. Remillard · 406 U.S. 598 (1972)
• Quern v. Mandley · 436 U.S. 725 (1978)
• Hagans v. Lavine · 415 U.S. 528 (1974)
• Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman · 451 U.S. 1 (1981)
• Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization · 441 U.S. 600 (1979)
• Burns v. Alcala · 420 U.S. 575 (1975)
• Van Lare v. Hurley · 421 U.S. 338 (1975)
• Moyle v. United States · 603 U.S. 324 (2024)
• Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
• Maine v. Thiboutot · 448 U.S. 1 (1980)
• Clark v. Jeter · 486 U.S. 456 (1988)
• Saenz v. Roe · 526 U.S. 489 (1999)
• Philbrook v. Glodgett · 421 U.S. 707 (1975)
• Beal v. Doe · 432 U.S. 438 (1977)
• Carter v. Stanton · 405 U.S. 669 (1972)
• Shea v. Vialpando · 416 U.S. 251 (1974)
• Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion Cty. v. Talevski · 599 U.S. 166 (2023)
• Miller v. Youakim · 440 U.S. 125 (1979)
• Youakim v. Miller · 425 U.S. 231 (1976)

Official text

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

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1971). 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).