United States v. Samuel Francis Patane
542 U.S. 630 · Decided June 28, 2004 · 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. Samuel Francis Patane was decided on June 28, 2004 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miranda warnings” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 542 U.S. 630 · 124 S. Ct. 2620 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 667 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4577
- Docket number
- 02-1183
- Decided
- June 28, 2004
- Argued
- December 9, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miranda warnings
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (Miranda warnings)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Samuel Francis Patane
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-088, docket 2003-088-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miranda warnings”
- Missouri v. Patrice Seibert.
- Michael Yarborough v. Michael Alvarado
- Charles Thomas Dickerson v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Florida v. Kevin Dewayne Powell
- Maryland v. Michael Blaine Shatzer, Sr.
- Mary Berghuis v. Van Chester Thompkins
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Yarborough v. Lionel E. Gentry
- Betty Mitchell v. Gregory Esparza
- United States v. Lashawn Lowell Banks
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
- Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
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