Brown v. Texas
443 U.S. 47 · Decided June 25, 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
Brown v. Texas was decided on June 25, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 443 U.S. 47 · 99 S. Ct. 2637 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 357 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 136
- Docket number
- 77-6673
- Decided
- June 25, 1979
- Argued
- February 21, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- 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 | 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
Brown v. Texas
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-139, docket 1978-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Michigan v. Defillippo
- Smith v. Maryland
- Torres v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
- United States v. Caceres
- Ybarra v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Dunaway v. New York
- Dalia v. United States
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Colorado v. Bannister
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