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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
Legal provision
Fourth Amendment
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William O. DouglasDissentWrote an opinion
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistMajority

Full case caption

United States v. Biswell

SCDB identifiers: case 1971-105, docket 1971-105-01.

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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