United States v. Harris
403 U.S. 573 · Decided June 28, 1971 · 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. Harris was decided on June 28, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 403 U.S. 573 · 91 S. Ct. 2075 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 723 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 18
- Docket number
- 30
- Decided
- June 28, 1971
- Argued
- March 23, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Harris
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-140, docket 1970-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics
- United States v. White
- Wyman v. James
- Shadwick v. City of Tampa
- Kelley v. Arizona
- Combs v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Coolidge v. New Hampshire
- Whiteley v. Warden
- United States v. Biswell
- Adams v. Williams
- United States v. United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Plamondon
- Perini v. Colosimo
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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