Davis v. Mississippi
394 U.S. 721 · Decided April 22, 1969 · 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
Davis v. Mississippi was decided on April 22, 1969 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. 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
- 394 U.S. 721 · 89 S. Ct. 1394 · 22 L. Ed. 2d 676 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1869
- Docket number
- 645
- Decided
- April 22, 1969
- Argued
- February 26, 1969
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Did not participate: Abe Fortas.
Full case caption
Davis v. Mississippi
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-085, docket 1968-085-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Giordano v. United States
- Taglianetti v. United States
- Alderman v. United States
- Chimel v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
- Von Cleef v. New Jersey
- Shipley v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Desist v. United States
- Kaiser v. New York
- Harris v. United States
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Perini v. Colosimo
- Crouse v. Wood
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. v. Nv Nederl. Amerik Stoomv Maats
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Smith v. Yeager
- Recznik v. City of Lorain
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