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Trainor v. Hernandez

United States Supreme Court

431 U.S. 434 (1977)

Facts

In an Illinois state court, the state of Illinois filed a civil enforcement action against Juan and Maria Hernandez (plaintiffs), alleging that the Hernandezes had concealed assets when seeking public assistance. Fraudulently concealing assets when applying for public assistance was a crime, but no criminal charges were filed. In the enforcement action, the state sought garnishment of the Hernandezes credit-union account. The Hernandezes filed a class action against state officials, including James Trainor (collectively, Trainor) (defendants), claiming that the state law violated their constitutional rights and seeking an injunction against Trainor from enforcing the statute. The trial court denied Trainor’s motion to dismiss the suit, and Trainor appealed.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (White, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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