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National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab

489 U.S. 656 · Decided March 21, 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

National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab was decided on March 21, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
489 U.S. 656 · 109 S. Ct. 1384 · 103 L. Ed. 2d 685 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 6033
Docket number
86-1879
Decided
March 21, 1989
Argued
November 2, 1988
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
Anthony M. Kennedy
Opinion assigned by
William H. Rehnquist
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Fourth Amendment
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

National Treasury Employees Union et al. v. Von Raab, Commissioner, United States Customs Service

SCDB identifiers: case 1988-055, docket 1988-055-01.

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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