Smith v. Maryland
442 U.S. 735 · Decided June 20, 1979 · 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
Smith v. Maryland was decided on June 20, 1979 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 442 U.S. 735 · 99 S. Ct. 2577 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 220 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 134
- Docket number
- 78-5374
- Decided
- June 20, 1979
- Argued
- March 28, 1979
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Smith v. Maryland
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-134, docket 1978-134-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Torres v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Michigan v. Defillippo
- Brown v. Texas
- Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
- United States v. Caceres
- Ybarra v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Dunaway v. New York
- Dalia v. United States
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Colorado v. Bannister
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Presnell v. Georgia
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Corbitt v. New Jersey
- Massachusetts v. White
- Michigan v. Doran
- Lee v. Missouri
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