Crane v. Commissioner of Public Welfare

In the case of Ingerson v. Pratt, No. 76-3255-S (D. Mass. Sept. 17, 1981), a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts declared that the Department of Public Welfare (department) violated Federal law by promulgating and enforcing a regulation requiring the deduction of Federal energy assistance benefits in computing entitlements to emergency assistance benefits. The judge enjoined the State defendants from continuing that practice. However, due to constraints imposed by the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the judge did not order…