O'Brien v. United States
386 U.S. 345 · Decided March 20, 1967 · 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
O'Brien v. United States was decided on March 20, 1967 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 386 U.S. 345 · 87 S. Ct. 1158 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 94 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1984
- Docket number
- 823
- Decided
- March 20, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
O'Brien et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-068, docket 1966-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- McCray v. Illinois
- Hoffa v. United States
- Warden v. HaydenAltered precedent
- Camara v. Municipal Court of the City and County of San FranciscoAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- See v. City of SeattleLaw held unconstitutional
- Berger v. New YorkAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Black v. United States
- Cichos v. Indiana
- O'Connor v. Ohio
- Lewis v. United States
- United States v. Fabrizio
- Hoffa 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