Florida v. Riley
488 U.S. 445 · Decided January 23, 1989 · 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
Florida v. Riley was decided on January 23, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 488 U.S. 445 · 109 S. Ct. 693 · 102 L. Ed. 2d 835 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 580
- Docket number
- 87-764
- Decided
- January 23, 1989
- Argued
- October 3, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Florida v. Riley
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-025, docket 1988-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
- National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab
- United States v. Sokolow
- Murray v. United States
- Michigan v. Chesternut
- California v. Greenwood
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- Florida v. Wells
- Alabama v. Vanessa Rose White
- Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Florida v. Luz Piedad Jimeno
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pennsylvania v. Bruder
- Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson
- Olden v. Kentucky
- Perry v. Leeke
- United States v. Broce
- Harris v. Reed
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