Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
540 U.S. 419 · Decided January 13, 2004 · 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. Robert S. Lidster was decided on January 13, 2004 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 540 U.S. 419 · 124 S. Ct. 885 · 157 L. Ed. 2d 843 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 656
- Docket number
- 02-1060
- Decided
- January 13, 2004
- Argued
- November 5, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Illinois v. Robert S. Lidster
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-023, docket 2003-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- United States v. Manuel Flores-Montano
- Marcus Thornton v. United States
- Illinois v. Roy I. Caballes
- Gail Atwater v. City of Lago Vista
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- United States v. Lashawn Lowell Banks
- Jeff Groh v. Joseph R. Ramirez
- Larry D. Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada
- Robert Kaupp v. Texas
- Gerald Devenpeck v. Jerome Anthony Alford
- Darin L. Muehler v. Iris Mena
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Yarborough v. Lionel E. Gentry
- Betty Mitchell v. Gregory Esparza
- United States v. Lashawn Lowell Banks
- Maryland v. Joseph Jermaine Pringle
- Hernan O'Ryan Castro v. United States
- John J. Fellers v. United States
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