Michigan v. Summers
452 U.S. 692 · Decided June 22, 1981 · 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 v. Summers was decided on June 22, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 452 U.S. 692 · 101 S. Ct. 2587 · 69 L. Ed. 2d 340 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 118
- Docket number
- 79-1794
- Decided
- June 22, 1981
- Argued
- February 25, 1981
- 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
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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 Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Michigan v. Summers
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-130, docket 1980-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Donovan v. Dewey
- Steagald v. United States
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Reid v. Georgia
- United States v. SalvucciAltered precedent
- Rawlings v. Kentucky
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Robbins v. California
- New York v. Belton
- United States v. Cortez
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. RossAltered precedent
- Michigan v. Thomas
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Bannister
- United States v. Difrancesco
- Watkins v. Sowders
- United States v. Morrison
- Mariscal v. United States
- United States v. Cortez
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