Docket Number: 98-97
Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
Subjects: Welfare benefits

At Issue: Whether a state may give lower welfare checks to new residents than it does to needy residents who have been in the state for more than a year.

Decision: States may not limit welfare benefits for new residents; the justices struck down a California law that restricted newcomers' welfare checks for one year to the amount they had collected in their previous state.

• The full text of the Saenz v. Roe decision is available at the FindLaw Internet Legal Resources Web site.

• The full text of the 1998 decision from the 9th Circuit, Roe v. Anderson, also is available at FindLaw.

Sources: The Washington Post, Supreme Court, The United States Law Week (a Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. publication)