United States v. Mechanik
475 U.S. 66 · Decided February 25, 1986 · 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. Mechanik was decided on February 25, 1986 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 475 U.S. 66 · 106 S. Ct. 938 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 50 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 3
- Docket number
- 84-1640
- Decided
- February 25, 1986
- Argued
- December 2, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Mechanik et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-035, docket 1985-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure”
- United States v. LaneAltered precedent
- United States v. Young
- United States v. John Doe, Inc. I
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- Tanner v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- United States v. Benchimol
- United States v. Gagnon
- Young v. United States ex Rel. Vuitton et Fils S. A.
- Frederick Mathews v. United States
- Bank of Nova Scotia v. United States
- United States v. R. Enterprises, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Delaware v. Fensterer
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Pennsylvania v. Goldhammer
- Hill v. Lockhart
- Heath v. Alabama
- Miller v. Fenton
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