Ybarra v. Illinois
444 U.S. 85 · Decided November 28, 1979 · 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
Ybarra v. Illinois was decided on November 28, 1979 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 444 U.S. 85 · 100 S. Ct. 338 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 238 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 151
- Docket number
- 78-5937
- Decided
- November 28, 1979
- Argued
- October 9, 1979
- 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
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Ybarra v. Illinois
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-007, docket 1979-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Payton v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Michigan v. Defillippo
- Brown v. Texas
- Smith v. Maryland
- Torres v. Puerto RicoLaw held unconstitutional
- Lo-Ji Sales, Inc. v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Arkansas v. Sanders
- Dunaway v. New York
- Dalia v. United States
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Colorado v. Bannister
- Rakas v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Pilon v. Bordenkircher
- Perrin v. United States
- Thompson v. United States
- United States v. Bailey
- Tague v. Louisiana
- United States v. Euge
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