Harris v. Rosario
United States Supreme Court
446 U.S. 651 (1980)

- Written by Katrina Sumner, JD
Facts
Congress established a federal program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), to provide monetary aid to the 50 states and Puerto Rico enabling them to support families with dependent children in need. However, the program paid less in benefits to families living in Puerto Rico. Rosario (plaintiff) and other recipients living in Puerto Rico, who received benefits at the lower rate, brought a class-action lawsuit against Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Patricia Harris (defendant) in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Rosario successfully claimed that the unequal reimbursement for families living in Puerto Rico violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
Dissent (Marshall, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.