United States v. Macdonald
435 U.S. 850 · Decided May 1, 1978 · 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. Macdonald was decided on May 1, 1978 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Speedy trial” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 850 · 98 S. Ct. 1547 · 56 L. Ed. 2d 18 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 85
- Docket number
- 75-1892
- Decided
- May 1, 1978
- Argued
- January 9, 1978
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Speedy trial
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (speedy trial)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr..
Full case caption
United States v. Macdonald
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-075, docket 1977-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Speedy trial”
- United States v. Lovasco
- Dillingham v. United States
- United States v. Macdonald
- Moore v. Arizona
- Strunk v. United States
- United States v. Eight Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($ 8,850) in United States Currency
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (speedy trial)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rinaldi v. United States
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
- Moore v. Illinois
- Smith v. Digmon
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
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