United States v. Mendenhall
446 U.S. 544 · Decided May 27, 1980 · 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. Mendenhall was decided on May 27, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 446 U.S. 544 · 100 S. Ct. 1870 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 497 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 102
- Docket number
- 78-1821
- Decided
- May 27, 1980
- Argued
- February 19, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent |
Full case caption
United States v. Mendenhall
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-091, docket 1979-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Walter v. United States
- United States v. Payner
- United States v. SalvucciAltered precedent
- Rawlings v. Kentucky
- Reid v. Georgia
- Payton v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Cortez
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Dunaway v. New York
- Robbins v. California
- New York v. Belton
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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