United States v. Jacobsen
466 U.S. 109 · Decided April 2, 1984 · 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. Jacobsen was decided on April 2, 1984 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 466 U.S. 109 · 104 S. Ct. 1652 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 85 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 53
- Docket number
- 82-1167
- Decided
- April 2, 1984
- Argued
- December 7, 1983
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Jacobsen et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-064, docket 1983-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Oliver v. United States
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Delgado
- Massachusetts v. Upton
- Welsh v. Wisconsin
- Donovan v. Lone Steer, Inc.
- Michigan v. Clifford
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Florida v. Meyers
- Michigan v. LongAltered precedent
- United States v. Johns
- Texas v. Brown
- California v. Carney
- Lanier v. South Carolina
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
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