United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
494 U.S. 259 · Decided February 28, 1990 · 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. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez was decided on February 28, 1990 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 494 U.S. 259 · 110 S. Ct. 1056 · 108 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 1175
- Docket number
- 88-1353
- Decided
- February 28, 1990
- Argued
- November 7, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-039, docket 1989-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Maryland v. Jerome Edward Buie
- Smith v. Ohio
- James v. Illinois
- New York v. Harris
- Minnesota v. Olson
- Terry Brice Horton v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Florida v. Wells
- Alabama v. Vanessa Rose White
- Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- Florida v. Luz Piedad Jimeno
- California v. Charles Steven AcevedoAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Terrell v. Terry L. Morris
- James v. Illinois
- Dowling v. United States
- Holland v. Illinois
- Baltimore City Department of Social Services v. Bouknight
- Scott Wayne Blystone v. Pennsylvania
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