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United States v. Sells Engineering, Inc.

463 U.S. 418 · Decided June 30, 1983 · 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. Sells Engineering, Inc. was decided on June 30, 1983 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” in the Criminal Procedure area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
463 U.S. 418 · 103 S. Ct. 3133 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 743 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 97
Docket number
81-1032
Decided
June 30, 1983
Argued
March 2, 1983
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
5–4
Majority opinion
William J. Brennan Jr.
Opinion assigned by
William J. Brennan Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Type of law
Court rules
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

United States v. Sells Engineering, Inc., et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1982-147, docket 1982-147-01.

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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