Roberts v. United States
445 U.S. 552 · Decided April 15, 1980 · 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
Roberts v. United States was decided on April 15, 1980 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 445 U.S. 552 · 100 S. Ct. 1358 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 622 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 93
- Docket number
- 78-1793
- Decided
- April 15, 1980
- Argued
- January 14, 1980
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Roberts v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-066, docket 1979-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- United States v. Havens
- United States v. Euge
- Jenkins v. Anderson
- United States v. Ward
- Carter v. Kentucky
- Estelle v. Smith
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- United States v. Apfelbaum
- New Jersey v. Portash
- Pillsbury Co. v. Conboy
- Lefkowitz v. CunninghamLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Nobles
- Moran v. Burbine
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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