United States v. Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr.
536 U.S. 194 · Decided June 17, 2002 · 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. Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr. was decided on June 17, 2002 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 536 U.S. 194 · 122 S. Ct. 2105 · 153 L. Ed. 2d 242 · 2002 U.S. LEXIS 4420
- Docket number
- 01-631
- Decided
- June 17, 2002
- Argued
- April 16, 2002
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr.
SCDB identifiers: case 2001-065, docket 2001-065-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Kennedy D. Kirk v. Louisiana
- United States v. Ralph Arvizu
- United States v. Mark James Knights
- Robert Kaupp v. Texas
- Danny Lee Kyllo v. United States
- Crystal M. Ferguson v. City of Charleston
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Lindsay Earls
- Gail Atwater v. City of Lago Vista
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
- Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
- Jeff Groh v. Joseph R. Ramirez
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Mark James Knights
- William Arthur Kelly v. South Carolina
- United States v. Ralph Arvizu
- United States v. Alphonso Vonn
- Walter Mickens, Jr. v. John Taylor
- United States v. Leonard CottonAltered precedent
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