In Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization, 441 U.S. 600, 617 (1979), the U.S. Supreme Court held that:
- "One cannot go into court and claim a 'violation of § 1983' -- for § 1983 by itself does not protect anyone against anything."
Instead, there must be another law that grants a substantive right to someone upon which a Section 1983 claim is based.
In this case the Court held that its jurisdiction does not encompass a claim that a state welfare regulation is invalid because it conflicts with the Social Security Act.