Michigan v. Thomas
458 U.S. 259 · Decided June 28, 1982 · 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. Thomas was decided on June 28, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 458 U.S. 259 · 102 S. Ct. 3079 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 750 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 145
- Docket number
- 81-593
- Decided
- June 28, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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. | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Jurisdictional 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 | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Michigan v. Thomas
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-153, docket 1981-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- United States v. RossAltered precedent
- Texas v. Brown
- Robbins v. California
- New York v. Belton
- Michigan v. LongAltered precedent
- United States v. Cortez
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Washington v. Chrisman
- United States v. Knotts
- Florida v. Royer
- Illinois v. Gates et Ux.Altered precedent
- United States v. Villamonte-Marquez
- Illinois v. Lafayette
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Duckworth v. Serrano
- Harris v. Rivera
- Boag v. Macdougall
- Hutto v. Davis
- Washington v. Chrisman
- Eddings v. Oklahoma
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