Weinberger v. Salfi

422 U.S. 749 (1975)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

A federal law denies Social Security benefits to dependents of deceased wage earners if the relationship between a dependent and the deceased was based on a marriage less than nine months old. The government contends that this regulation is necessary to combat the overwhelming amount of fraudulent Social Security claims based on sham marriages. The Appellee's husband suffered a heart attack and died only one month after their marriage. Subsequently, she applied to receive her husband's Social Security benefits for herself and her child from a previous marriage; she was denied due to her short length of marriage to the deceased. The District Court granted the Appellee's summary judgment motion. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed.