Franks v. Delaware
438 U.S. 154 · Decided June 26, 1978 · 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
Franks v. Delaware was decided on June 26, 1978 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 438 U.S. 154 · 98 S. Ct. 2674 · 57 L. Ed. 2d 667 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 127
- Docket number
- 77-5176
- Decided
- June 26, 1978
- Argued
- February 27, 1978
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Franks v. Delaware
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-142, docket 1977-142-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Mincey v. Arizona
- Michigan v. Tyler
- Zurcher v. Stanford Daily
- Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- United States v. Ceccolini
- Michigan v. Doran
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Rakas v. Illinois
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- Delaware v. Prouse
- Dalia v. United States
- Dunaway v. New York
- Arkansas v. Sanders
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Rinaldi v. United States
- Pennsylvania v. Mimms
- United States v. New York Telephone Co.
- Moore v. Illinois
- Smith v. Digmon
- Bordenkircher v. Hayes
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