United States v. Robinson
414 U.S. 218 · Decided December 11, 1973 · 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. Robinson was decided on December 11, 1973 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 414 U.S. 218 · 94 S. Ct. 467 · 38 L. Ed. 2d 427 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 21
- Docket number
- 72-936
- Decided
- December 11, 1973
- Argued
- October 9, 1973
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- 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 O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Robinson
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-024, docket 1973-024-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Gustafson v. Florida
- Almeida-Sanchez v. United States
- Cady v. Dombrowski
- Cardwell v. Lewis
- Schneckloth v. Bustamonte
- Adams v. Williams
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- United States v. Matlock
- United States v. Edwards
- California Bankers Assn. v. Shultz
- Air Pollution Variance Board of Colorado v. Western Alfalfa Corp.
- Roaden v. Kentucky
- Cupp v. Murphy
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
- Gustafson v. Florida
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