Edelman v. Jordan

E496715

Edelman v. Jordan is a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court case that limited the scope of federal court relief against state officials under the Eleventh Amendment, refining the doctrine established in Ex parte Young.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court case
civil rights case
federal courts case
areaOfLaw constitutional law
federal courts
welfare law
citation 415 U.S. 651
clarified that a federal court order requiring payment of past-due benefits from the state treasury is treated as a suit against the state
constitutionalProvisionInvolved Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution NERFINISHED
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1974-03-25
dissentingJustices Justice Harry A. Blackmun NERFINISHED
Justice Thurgood Marshall NERFINISHED
Justice William J. Brennan Jr. NERFINISHED
followedBy subsequent Eleventh Amendment jurisprudence on state sovereign immunity
fullCaseName Edelman, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Aid v. Jordan NERFINISHED
holding Federal courts may grant prospective injunctive relief against state officials under Ex parte Young but may not award retroactive monetary awards payable from state funds. NERFINISHED
The Eleventh Amendment bars federal courts from ordering state officials to pay retroactive monetary relief from the state treasury for past violations of federal law. NERFINISHED
jurisdiction United States federal jurisdiction
keyPrinciple Prospective compliance with federal law may be compelled from state officials, but the Eleventh Amendment protects states from federal court orders requiring payment of past liabilities from the state treasury.
languageOfCourt English
legalDoctrine Ex parte Young doctrine NERFINISHED
retroactive monetary relief
state sovereign immunity
legalIssue availability of retroactive welfare benefits in federal court
scope of federal court relief against state officials
limitedScopeOf federal court relief against state officials
majorityOpinionBy Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. NERFINISHED
page 651
petitioner Jerome H. Edelman NERFINISHED
precedentFor distinction between prospective and retroactive relief under the Eleventh Amendment
limits on retroactive monetary relief against states in federal court
refinesDoctrine Ex parte Young NERFINISHED
relatesToProgram Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD) NERFINISHED
reporter United States Reports
respondent Charles L. Jordan NERFINISHED
stateParty Illinois NERFINISHED
subjectMatter federal-state relations
public assistance benefits
typeOfReliefAtIssue injunctive relief
retroactive monetary relief
volume 415
vote 6–3
yearDecided 1974

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ex parte Young relatedCase Edelman v. Jordan