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Michigan v. Long

463 U.S. 1032 · Decided July 6, 1983 · 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

Michigan v. Long was decided on July 6, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
463 U.S. 1032 · 103 S. Ct. 3469 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 1201 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 7
Docket number
82-256
Decided
July 6, 1983
Argued
February 23, 1983
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–3
Majority opinion
Sandra Day O'Connor
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Fourth Amendment
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Altered precedent
Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissent
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajorityWrote an opinion

Full case caption

Michigan v. Long

SCDB identifiers: case 1982-163, docket 1982-163-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment

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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