Cardwell v. Lewis
417 U.S. 583 · Decided June 17, 1974 · 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
Cardwell v. Lewis was decided on June 17, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 417 U.S. 583 · 94 S. Ct. 2464 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 325 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 75
- Docket number
- 72-1603
- Decided
- June 17, 1974
- Argued
- March 18, 1974
- 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Cardwell, Warden v. Lewis
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-141, docket 1973-141-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- United States v. Robinson
- Gustafson v. Florida
- Almeida-Sanchez v. United States
- Cady v. Dombrowski
- United States v. Brignoni-Ponce
- United States v. Ortiz
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Air Pollution Variance Board of Colorado v. Western Alfalfa Corp.
- California Bankers Assn. v. Shultz
- United States v. Edwards
- United States v. Matlock
- Gerstein v. Pugh
- Roaden v. Kentucky
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Taylor v. United States
- Moore v. Arizona
- Berry v. City of Cincinnati
- Lefkowitz v. TurleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Cupp v. Naughten
- United States v. Robinson
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