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Illinois v. Gates et Ux.

462 U.S. 213 · Decided June 8, 1983 · 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

Illinois v. Gates et Ux. was decided on June 8, 1983 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
462 U.S. 213 · 103 S. Ct. 2317 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 527 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 54
Docket number
81-430
Decided
June 8, 1983
Argued
October 13, 1982
Reargued
March 1, 1983
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
6–3
Majority opinion
William H. Rehnquist
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Fourth Amendment
Type of law
Constitutional amendment
Altered precedent
Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallDissent
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorMajority

Full case caption

Illinois v. Gates et Ux.

SCDB identifiers: case 1982-103, docket 1982-103-01.

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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