Supreme Court rules the government must weigh cost and fairness before stripping any benefit or legal protection from a person

The Supreme Court ruled 6-2 in Mathews v. Eldridge that the termination of Social Security disability benefits without a prior evidentiary hearing did not violate due process. Justice Powell wrote the majority opinion establishing a three-part balancing test courts must apply to determine what procedural protections the Constitution requires. The test weighs the private interest at stake, the risk of erroneous deprivation and value of additional procedures, and the government's interest including administrative burden.