United States v. Powell
423 U.S. 87 · Decided December 2, 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. Powell was decided on December 2, 1975 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 423 U.S. 87 · 96 S. Ct. 316 · 46 L. Ed. 2d 228 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 99
- Docket number
- 74-884
- Decided
- December 2, 1975
- Argued
- October 6, 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Powell
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-015, docket 1975-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- Rose v. Locke
- O'Connor v. Donaldson
- Mullaney v. WilburLaw held unconstitutional
- Tennessee v. Dunlap
- United States v. Agurs
- North v. Russell
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Mathews v. Eldridge
- Mathews v. Diaz
- Hampton v. Mow Sun WongLaw held unconstitutional
- Schlesinger v. Ballard
- Moody v. Daggett
- Marks v. United States
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Rose v. Locke
- Laing v. United States
- Alamo Land & Cattle Co., Inc. v. Arizona Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Shapiro et Ux.
- Baxter v. Palmigiano
- Tennessee v. Dunlap
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