United States v. Donovan
429 U.S. 413 · Decided January 18, 1977 · 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. Donovan was decided on January 18, 1977 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 429 U.S. 413 · 97 S. Ct. 658 · 50 L. Ed. 2d 652 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 36
- Docket number
- 75-212
- Decided
- January 18, 1977
- Argued
- October 13, 1976
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- 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
- Federal crime control and firearms statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Donovan et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-039, docket 1976-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, Crime Control Act”
- Scott v. United States
- Dalia v. United States
- United States v. Giordano
- United States v. Chavez
- United States v. Kahn et Ux.
- Gelbard v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal crime control and firearms statutes
- Scarborough v. United States
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
- Barrett v. United States
- Iannelli v. United States
- Dunn v. United States
- United States v. Batchelder
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- United States v. Morrison
- United States v. Rose
- United States v. Dieter
- United States v. Pomponio
- United States v. Sanford
- Moore v. United States
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