Wong Sun v. United States
371 U.S. 471 · Decided January 14, 1963 · 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
Wong Sun v. United States was decided on January 14, 1963 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 371 U.S. 471 · 83 S. Ct. 407 · 9 L. Ed. 2d 441 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2431
- Docket number
- 36
- Decided
- January 14, 1963
- Argued
- October 8, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Wong Sun et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-033, docket 1962-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Ker et Ux. v. California
- Stoner v. California
- Rugendorf v. United States
- Clinton v. Virginia
- Aguilar v. Texas
- Etchieson v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Lanza v. New York
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Preston v. United States
- Rios v. United States
- Cooper v. California
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Walton v. Arkansas
- United States v. Sampson
- Jones v. Cunningham
- Shotwell Manufacturing Co. v. United States
- Simler v. Conner
- Townsend v. Sain
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