Whiteley v. Warden
401 U.S. 560 · Decided March 29, 1971 · 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
Whiteley v. Warden was decided on March 29, 1971 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 560 · 91 S. Ct. 1031 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 306 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 65
- Docket number
- 136
- Decided
- March 29, 1971
- Argued
- January 13, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Whiteley v. Warden, Wyoming State Penitentiary
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-069, docket 1970-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Coolidge v. New Hampshire
- Perini v. Colosimo
- Crouse v. Wood
- Hocker v. Heffley
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Adams v. Williams
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- United States v. White
- Wyman v. James
- Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics
- United States v. Harris
- Kelley v. Arizona
- Vale v. Louisiana
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Wyman v. James
- Procunier v. Atchley
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