Shahidah Graham v. Steven A. Minter

Plaintiffs, two mothers who are recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children, 42 U.S.C. §§ 601-644, brought this class action for declaratory and injunctive relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202 seeking, inter alia, to have a Commonwealth of Massachusetts regulation dealing with lost or stolen welfare checks declared unconstitutional. 1 On February 16, 1971, at the request of plaintiffs, a three-judge district court was constituted in accordance with 28 U.S.C. §§ 2281 and 2284. Prior to the appointment of that court, plaintiffs requested the single judge to…