Spinelli v. United States
393 U.S. 410 · Decided January 27, 1969 · 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
Spinelli v. United States was decided on January 27, 1969 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II 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
- 393 U.S. 410 · 89 S. Ct. 584 · 21 L. Ed. 2d 637 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 2701
- Docket number
- 8
- Decided
- January 27, 1969
- Argued
- October 16, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Spinelli v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-038, docket 1968-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Alderman v. United States
- Giordano v. United States
- Taglianetti v. United States
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
- Davis v. Mississippi
- Chimel v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Desist v. United States
- Kaiser v. New York
- Harris v. United States
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Perini v. Colosimo
- Crouse v. Wood
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Smith v. Yeager
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
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