James v. Illinois
493 U.S. 307 · Decided January 10, 1990 · 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
James v. Illinois was decided on January 10, 1990 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 493 U.S. 307 · 110 S. Ct. 648 · 107 L. Ed. 2d 676 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 335
- Docket number
- 88-6075
- Decided
- January 10, 1990
- Argued
- October 3, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
James v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-018, docket 1989-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
- Maryland v. Jerome Edward Buie
- Smith v. Ohio
- New York v. Harris
- Minnesota v. Olson
- Terry Brice Horton v. California
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Terrell v. Terry L. Morris
- Dowling v. United States
- Holland v. Illinois
- Baltimore City Department of Social Services v. Bouknight
- United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
- Scott Wayne Blystone v. Pennsylvania
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