Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz
496 U.S. 444 · Decided June 14, 1990 · 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
Michigan Department of State Police v. Rick Sitz was decided on June 14, 1990 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
- 496 U.S. 444 · 110 S. Ct. 2481 · 110 L. Ed. 2d 412 · 1990 U.S. LEXIS 3144
- Docket number
- 88-1897
- Decided
- June 14, 1990
- Argued
- February 27, 1990
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Michigan Department of State Police, et al. v. Rick Sitz, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1989-109, docket 1989-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Alabama v. Vanessa Rose White
- Florida v. Wells
- Florida v. Luz Piedad Jimeno
- California v. Charles Steven AcevedoAltered precedent
- Florida v. Bostick
- Brower v. County of Inyo
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Illinois v. Rodriguez
- Terry Brice Horton v. California
- Minnesota v. Olson
- Smith v. Ohio
- United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
- Maryland v. Jerome Edward Buie
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Michael Terrell v. Terry L. Morris
- James v. Illinois
- Dowling v. United States
- Holland v. Illinois
- Baltimore City Department of Social Services v. Bouknight
- United States v. Rene Martin Verdugo-Urquidez
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