Torres v. Puerto Rico

442 U.S. 465 · Decided June 18, 1979 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Torres v. Puerto Rico was decided on June 18, 1979 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Torres v. Puerto Rico

SCDB identifiers: case 1978-122, docket 1978-122-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”

• Smith v. Maryland
  442 U.S. 735Decided June 20, 19795–3Harry A. Blackmun
• Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
  442 U.S. 319Decided June 11, 19799–0Warren E. Burger
• Michigan v. Defillippo
  443 U.S. 31Decided June 25, 19796–3Warren E. Burger
• Brown v. Texas
  443 U.S. 47Decided June 25, 19799–0Warren E. Burger
• United States v. Caceres
  440 U.S. 741Decided April 2, 19797–2John Paul Stevens
• Ybarra v. Illinois
  444 U.S. 85Decided November 28, 19796–3Potter Stewart

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment

• Arkansas v. Sanders
  442 U.S. 753Decided June 20, 19797–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Dunaway v. New York
  442 U.S. 200Decided June 5, 19796–2William J. Brennan Jr.
• Dalia v. United States
  441 U.S. 238Decided April 18, 19795–4Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Delaware v. Prouse
  440 U.S. 648Decided March 27, 19798–1Byron R. White
• Rakas v. Illinois
  439 U.S. 128Decided December 5, 19785–4William H. Rehnquist
• Colorado v. Bannister
  449 U.S. 1Decided October 20, 19809–0Per curiam

Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)

• Presnell v. Georgia
  439 U.S. 14Decided November 6, 19786–3Per curiam
• Rakas v. Illinois
  439 U.S. 128Decided December 5, 19785–4William H. Rehnquist
• Corbitt v. New Jersey
  439 U.S. 212Decided December 11, 19786–3Byron R. White
• Massachusetts v. White
  439 U.S. 280Decided December 11, 19784–4
• Michigan v. Doran
  439 U.S. 282Decided December 18, 19789–0Warren E. Burger
• Lee v. Missouri
  439 U.S. 461Decided January 15, 19798–1Per curiam

See all

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