O'Connor v. Ortega
480 U.S. 709 · Decided March 31, 1987 · 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
O'Connor v. Ortega was decided on March 31, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 480 U.S. 709 · 107 S. Ct. 1492 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 714 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1507
- Docket number
- 85-530
- Decided
- March 31, 1987
- Argued
- October 15, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
O'Connor et al. v. Ortega
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-064, docket 1986-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Illinois v. Krull
- United States v. Dunn
- Arizona v. Hicks
- Maryland v. Garrison
- New York v. Burger
- California v. Rooney
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Colorado v. Bertine
- New York v. Class
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- California v. Carney
- Brower v. County of Inyo
- United States v. Johns
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colorado v. Connelly
- Griffith v. Kentucky
- Colorado v. Bertine
- Connecticut v. Barrett
- California v. Brown
- Colorado v. Spring
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