United States v. Sokolow
490 U.S. 1 · Decided April 3, 1989 · 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. Sokolow was decided on April 3, 1989 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 490 U.S. 1 · 109 S. Ct. 1581 · 104 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 1694
- Docket number
- 87-1295
- Decided
- April 3, 1989
- Argued
- January 10, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- 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 J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Sokolow
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-066, docket 1988-066-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Association
- National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab
- Florida v. Riley
- Murray v. United States
- James v. Illinois
- Michigan v. Chesternut
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- Florida v. Wells
- Alabama v. Vanessa Rose White
- Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz
- Florida v. Luz Piedad Jimeno
- California v. Charles Steven AcevedoAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pennsylvania v. Bruder
- Lockhart, A. L. v. Nelson
- Olden v. Kentucky
- Perry v. Leeke
- Florida v. Riley
- United States v. Broce
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