Griffin v. Wisconsin
483 U.S. 868 · Decided June 26, 1987 · 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
Griffin v. Wisconsin was decided on June 26, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia 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
- 483 U.S. 868 · 107 S. Ct. 3164 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 709 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2897
- Docket number
- 86-5324
- Decided
- June 26, 1987
- Argued
- April 20, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Griffin v. Wisconsin
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-164, docket 1986-164-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- California v. Rooney
- New York v. Burger
- O'Connor v. Ortega
- Illinois v. Krull
- United States v. Dunn
- Arizona v. Hicks
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Colorado v. Bertine
- New York v. Class
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- California v. Carney
- United States v. Johns
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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