Abney v. United States
431 U.S. 651 · Decided June 9, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Abney v. United States was decided on June 9, 1977 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Double jeopardy” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 651 · 97 S. Ct. 2034 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 651 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 103
- Docket number
- 75-6521
- Decided
- June 9, 1977
- Argued
- January 17, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Double jeopardy
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Abney et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-124, docket 1976-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Double jeopardy”
- Lee v. United States
- Jeffers v. United States
- Brown v. Ohio
- Finch v. United States
- Harris v. Oklahoma
- United States v. Martin Linen Supply Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Morrison
- United States v. Rose
- United States v. Dieter
- United States v. Pomponio
- United States v. Sanford
- Moore v. United States
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error