United States v. Matlock
415 U.S. 164 · Decided February 20, 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. Matlock was decided on February 20, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 415 U.S. 164 · 94 S. Ct. 988 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 242 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 8
- Docket number
- 72-1355
- Decided
- February 20, 1974
- Argued
- December 10, 1973
- 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
- Byron R. White
- 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 O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | 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 |
Full case caption
United States v. Matlock
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-054, docket 1973-054-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- United States v. Edwards
- California Bankers Assn. v. Shultz
- United States v. Calandra
- Gooding v. United States
- Air Pollution Variance Board of Colorado v. Western Alfalfa Corp.
- Cupp v. Murphy
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- United States v. Robinson
- Gustafson v. Florida
- Cardwell v. Lewis
- Roaden v. Kentucky
- Almeida-Sanchez v. United States
- Cady v. Dombrowski
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