Rakas v. Illinois
439 U.S. 128 · Decided December 5, 1978 · 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
Rakas v. Illinois was decided on December 5, 1978 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 439 U.S. 128 · 99 S. Ct. 421 · 58 L. Ed. 2d 387 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 2452
- Docket number
- 77-5781
- Decided
- December 5, 1978
- Argued
- October 3, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
Rakas et al. v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-011, docket 1978-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Massachusetts v. White
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. Chadwick
- Colorado v. Bannister
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Dalia v. United States
- Franks v. Delaware
- Mincey v. Arizona
- Dunaway v. New York
- Michigan v. Tyler
- Zurcher v. Stanford Daily
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
- Scott v. Illinois
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