United States v. Nobles
422 U.S. 225 · Decided June 23, 1975 · 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. Nobles was decided on June 23, 1975 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. 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
- 422 U.S. 225 · 95 S. Ct. 2160 · 45 L. Ed. 2d 141 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 80
- Docket number
- 74-634
- Decided
- June 23, 1975
- Argued
- April 23, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Discovery and inspection in criminal cases
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Concurrence |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
United States v. Nobles
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-130, docket 1974-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Discovery and inspection in criminal cases”
- Test v. United States
- Goldberg v. United States
- United States v. Nixon
- 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
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Garner v. United States
- Fisher v. United States
- Andresen v. Maryland
- Bellis v. United States
- United States v. Kahan
- Lefkowitz v. TurleyLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Ring v. United States
- Francisco v. Gathright
- Maness v. Meyers
- Test v. United States
- Daniel v. Louisiana
- Gerstein v. Pugh
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