Dow Chemical Co. v. United States
476 U.S. 227 · Decided May 19, 1986 · 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
Dow Chemical Co. v. United States was decided on May 19, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed 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
- 476 U.S. 227 · 106 S. Ct. 1819 · 90 L. Ed. 2d 226 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 155
- Docket number
- 84-1259
- Decided
- May 19, 1986
- Argued
- December 10, 1985
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- 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 | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Dow Chemical Co. v. United States, by and Through Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-083, docket 1985-083-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- California v. Ciraolo
- Maryland v. Garrison
- United States v. Dunn
- Arizona v. Hicks
- Illinois v. Krull
- O'Connor v. Ortega
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- New York v. Class
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Colorado v. Bertine
- California v. Carney
- United States v. Johns
- Florida v. Meyers
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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