United States v. Nixon
418 U.S. 683 · Decided July 24, 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. Nixon was decided on July 24, 1974 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Discovery and inspection in criminal cases” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 418 U.S. 683 · 94 S. Ct. 3090 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 1039 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 93
- Docket number
- 73-1766
- Decided
- July 24, 1974
- Argued
- July 8, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Discovery and inspection in criminal cases
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: William H. Rehnquist.
Full case caption
United States v. Nixon, President of the United States, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-172, docket 1973-172-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Discovery and inspection in criminal cases”
- Test v. United States
- United States v. Nobles
- Goldberg v. United States
- Kerr v. United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States v. Lasalle National Bank
- Douglas Oil Company of California v. Petrol Stops Northwest
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