United States v. Salerno
481 U.S. 739 · Decided May 26, 1987 · 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. Salerno was decided on May 26, 1987 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 “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 739 · 107 S. Ct. 2095 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 697 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2259
- Docket number
- 86-87
- Decided
- May 26, 1987
- Argued
- January 21, 1987
- 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)
- Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3141
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Salerno et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-102, docket 1986-102-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, prisoners' and defendants' rights”
- Board of Pardons v. Allen
- Superintendent v. Hill
- Kentucky Department of Corrections v. Thompson
- Ponte v. Real
- Black v. Romano
- Washington v. Walter Harper
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Asahi Metal Industry Co., Ltd. v. Superior Court of California
- Martin v. Ohio
- Federal Communications Commission v. Florida Power Corp.
- Keystone Bituminous Coal Assn. v. Debenedictis
- United States v. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
- Brock v. Roadway Express, Inc.
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