Michael A. Whren and James L. Brown v. United States
517 U.S. 806 · Decided June 10, 1996 · 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
Michael A. Whren and James L. Brown v. United States was decided on June 10, 1996 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 517 U.S. 806 · 116 S. Ct. 1769 · 135 L. Ed. 2d 89 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 3720
- Docket number
- 95-5841
- Decided
- June 10, 1996
- Argued
- April 17, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Michael A. Whren and James L. Brown v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-062, docket 1995-062-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Pennsylvania v. Edwin Labron
- Ohio v. Robert D. Robinette
- Maryland v. Jerry Lee Wilson
- Arizona v. Isaac Evans
- Patrick Knowles v. IowaLaw held unconstitutional
- Wyoming v. Sandra Houghton
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Saul Ornelas and Ismael Ornelas-Ledesma v. United States
- Walker L. Chandler v. Zell D. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
- Steiney Richards v. Wisconsin
- Vernonia School District 47J v. Wayne Acton
- Sharlene Wilson v. Arkansas
- United States v. Hernan Ramirez
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Tana Wood v. Dwayne Earl Bartholomew
- Lem Davis Tuggle, Jr. v. J. D. Netherland
- Joseph Libretti v. United States
- Carl Thompson v. Patrick Keohane
- Roland J. Bailey v. United States
- Meirl Gilbert Neal v. United States
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