| Astrue v. Capato | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued March 19, 2012 Decided May 21, 2012 | |
| Full case name | Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, Petitioner v. Karen K. Capato, on Behalf of B. N. C., et al. |
| Docket no. | 11-159 |
| Citations | 566 U.S. 541 (more) 132 S. Ct. 2021; 182 L. Ed. 2d 887; 2012 U.S. LEXIS 3782; 80 U.S.L.W. 4369 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Claim for benefits denied, unreported (ODAR, Nov. 28, 2007); affirmed, Capato v. Commissioner of Social Security, No. 2:08-cv-0540 5 (D.N.J. Mar. 23, 2010); reversed, 631 F.3d 626 (3d Cir. 2011); cert. granted, 565 U.S. 2011 (2011). |
| Holding | |
| The SSA’s reading is better attuned to the statute’s text and its design to benefit primarily those supported by the deceased wage earner in his or her lifetime. Moreover, even if the SSA’s longstanding interpretation is not the only reasonable one, it is at least a permissible construction entitled to deference under Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.. Third Circuit reversed and remanded. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | Ginsburg, joined by unanimous |
Astrue v. Capato, 566 U.S. 541 (2012), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that children conceived after a parent's death are not entitled to Social Security Survivors benefits if the laws in the state that the parent's will was signed in forbid it.[1] The case was a unanimous decision.