Edelman v. Jordan
415 U.S. 651 · U.S. Supreme Court · 1974-03-25
Holding
Federal courts may order prospective compliance with federal law against state officers (Ex parte Young) but may not award retroactive money damages from the state treasury.
Context
An Illinois welfare-benefits case that drew the federal analogue of the officer-suit line: injunctions governing future conduct are permitted; backward-looking raids on the treasury are barred. Relied on in Leetaru.
prospective vs retroactive reliefEx parte Young
Full text: see Illinois Courts / CourtListener.