Colorado v. Spring
479 U.S. 564 · Decided January 27, 1987 · 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
Colorado v. Spring was decided on January 27, 1987 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 479 U.S. 564 · 107 S. Ct. 851 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 954 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 418
- Docket number
- 85-1517
- Decided
- January 27, 1987
- Argued
- December 9, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Colorado v. Spring
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-031, docket 1986-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Crane v. Kentucky
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Arizona v. FulminanteAltered precedent
- Taylor v. Alabama
- Dunaway v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Allen v. Illinois
- Moran v. Burbine
- United States v. Thomas O. Robinson, Jr.
- Braswell v. United States
- Doe v. United States
- Selective Service System v. Minnesota Public Interest Research Group
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Pennsylvania v. Ritchie
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