Arkansas v. Sanders
442 U.S. 753 · Decided June 20, 1979 · 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
Arkansas v. Sanders was decided on June 20, 1979 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 442 U.S. 753 · 99 S. Ct. 2586 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 235 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 6
- Docket number
- 77-1497
- Decided
- June 20, 1979
- Argued
- February 27, 1979
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Arkansas v. Sanders
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-135, docket 1978-135-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Massachusetts v. White
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Colorado v. Bannister
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. Cortez
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Smith v. Maryland
- Torres v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Michigan v. Defillippo
- Brown v. Texas
- Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
- Dunaway v. New York
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
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