Albernaz v. United States
450 U.S. 333 · Decided March 9, 1981 · 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
Albernaz v. United States was decided on March 9, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 450 U.S. 333 · 101 S. Ct. 1137 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 275 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 78
- Docket number
- 79-1709
- Decided
- March 9, 1981
- Argued
- January 19, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Albernaz et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-053, docket 1980-053-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Double jeopardy”
- Hudson v. Louisiana
- Bullington v. Missouri
- United States v. Difrancesco
- Illinois v. Vitale
- Whalen v. United States
- Thompson v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (double jeopardy)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Difrancesco
- Watkins v. Sowders
- United States v. Morrison
- Mariscal v. United States
- United States v. Cortez
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