Dunaway v. New York
442 U.S. 200 · Decided June 5, 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
Dunaway v. New York was decided on June 5, 1979 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan 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
- 442 U.S. 200 · 99 S. Ct. 2248 · 60 L. Ed. 2d 824 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 126
- Docket number
- 78-5066
- Decided
- June 5, 1979
- Argued
- March 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Dunaway v. New York
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-111, docket 1978-111-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Taylor v. Alabama
- Brown v. Illinois
- Fontaine v. United States
- Lavallee v. Delle Rose
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Swenson v. Stidham
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
- Torres v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Maryland
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Michigan v. Defillippo
- Brown v. Texas
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