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
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
United States v. Sells Engineering, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-147, docket 1982-147-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure”
- United States v. Baggot
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Young
- United States v. LaneAltered precedent
- United States v. Mechanik
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
- United States v. Gagnon
- United States v. Benchimol
- Young v. United States ex Rel. Vuitton et Fils S. A.
- Douglas Oil Company of California v. Petrol Stops Northwest
- Frederick Mathews v. United States
- Bank of Nova Scotia v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Anderson v. Harless
- Wyrick v. Fields
- Pillsbury Co. v. Conboy
- Missouri v. Hunter
- Marshall v. Lonberger
- South Dakota v. Neville
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