Walter v. United States
447 U.S. 649 · Decided June 20, 1980 · 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
Walter v. United States was decided on June 20, 1980 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 447 U.S. 649 · 100 S. Ct. 2395 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 410 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 135
- Docket number
- 79-67
- Decided
- June 20, 1980
- Argued
- February 26, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Walter v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-130, docket 1979-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- United States v. Payner
- United States v. SalvucciAltered precedent
- Rawlings v. Kentucky
- Reid v. Georgia
- United States v. Mendenhall
- Payton v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Cortez
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Robbins v. California
- New York v. Belton
- Dunaway v. New York
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Ybarra v. Illinois
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
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