Bowen v. Gilliard
United States Supreme Court
483 U.S. 587 (1987)

- Written by Deanna Curl, JD
Facts
In 1984, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 (DEFRA) to amend the statute that authorizes Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) public-assistance benefits. The amendments changed AFDC guidelines to require income from all immediate family members residing in the same household to be included in the benefit calculation. As a result of DEFRA, Ms. Gilliard (plaintiff) was required to include a child for whom she received child-support payments in her income calculation, and her monthly AFDC benefits were reduced. Additionally, DEFRA required the child-support payments Gilliard received to be assigned to the state and paid as part of her AFDC benefits, but exempted $50 of these support payments. Gilliard challenged the constitutionality of DEFRA, and the district court found that DEFRA violated the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process and Takings Clauses. The Supreme Court granted certiorari to review the case.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Stevens, J.)
Dissent (Brennan, J.)
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