United States v. Biswell
406 U.S. 311 · Decided May 15, 1972 · 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
United States v. Biswell was decided on May 15, 1972 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, Crime Control Act” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 406 U.S. 311 · 92 S. Ct. 1593 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 87 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 60
- Docket number
- 71-81
- Decided
- May 15, 1972
- Argued
- March 28, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, Crime Control Act
- 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 O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Biswell
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-105, docket 1971-105-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, Crime Control Act”
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Plamondon
- Gelbard v. United States
- United States v. Kahn et Ux.
- United States v. Giordano
- United States v. Chavez
- United States v. Donovan
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Adams v. Williams
- Shadwick v. City of Tampa
- United States v. Dionisio
- United States v. Mara
- United States v. Harris
- Coolidge v. New Hampshire
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Harris v. Washington
- Cruz v. Hauck
- Wilwording v. Swenson
- Santobello v. New York
- Picard v. Connor
- United States v. Campos-Serrano
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