|
|
Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
Contents:
Show Summary
Hide Summary
General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282 (1971)
Townsend v. Swank No. 70-5021 Argued November 8, 1971 Decided December 20, 1971 * 404 U.S. 282
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
Syllabus
This class action challenges on equal protection and supremacy grounds an Illinois statute and regulation under which needy dependent children 18 through 20 years old attending high school or vocational training school qualify for benefits under the federally assisted Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) program, but such children attending a college or university do not qualify. A three-judge District Court upheld the Illinois scheme.
Held: 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. Since § 406(a)(2)(B) of the Act makes dependent 18-20-year-olds eligible for benefits whether attending a college or university or a vocational or technical training course, and Congress has authorized no limitation of eligibility standards within the age group, the Illinois program conflicts with that federal statutory provision and violates the Supremacy Clause. Pp. 285-292.
314 F.Supp. 1082, reversed.
BRENNAN, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which DOUGLAS, STEWART, WHITE, MARSHALL, and BLACKMUN, JJ., joined. BURGER, C.J., filed an opinion concurring in the result, post, p. 292.
Contents:
Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282 (1971) in 404 U.S. 282 404 U.S. 283. Original Sources, accessed May 19, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PU9UUTL4XM1EYCE.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282 (1971), in 404 U.S. 282, page 404 U.S. 283. Original Sources. 19 May. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PU9UUTL4XM1EYCE.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282 (1971). cited in 1971, 404 U.S. 282, pp.404 U.S. 283. Original Sources, retrieved 19 May 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=PU9UUTL4XM1EYCE.
|