United States v. Giordano
416 U.S. 505 · Decided May 13, 1974 · 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. Giordano was decided on May 13, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed 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
- 416 U.S. 505 · 94 S. Ct. 1820 · 40 L. Ed. 2d 341 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 36
- Docket number
- 72-1057
- Decided
- May 13, 1974
- Argued
- January 8, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
United States v. Giordano et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-100, docket 1973-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, Crime Control Act”
- United States v. Chavez
- United States v. Kahn et Ux.
- Gelbard v. United States
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Plamondon
- United States v. Biswell
- United States v. Donovan
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal crime control and firearms statutes
- Huddleston v. United States
- Iannelli v. United States
- Barrett v. United States
- United States v. Bass
- Scarborough v. United States
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Taylor v. United States
- Moore v. Arizona
- Berry v. City of Cincinnati
- Lefkowitz v. TurleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Cupp v. Naughten
- United States v. Robinson
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