See v. City of Seattle
387 U.S. 541 · Decided June 5, 1967 · 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
See v. City of Seattle was decided on June 5, 1967 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 387 U.S. 541 · 87 S. Ct. 1737 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 943 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1255
- Docket number
- 180
- Decided
- June 5, 1967
- Argued
- February 15, 1967
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
See v. City of Seattle
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-117, docket 1966-117-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Camara v. Municipal Court of the City and County of San FranciscoAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Warden v. HaydenAltered precedent
- Berger v. New YorkAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Hadley v. Massachusetts
- Hoffa v. United States
- McCray v. Illinois
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Cooper v. California
- Harris v. United States
- Desist v. United States
- Kaiser v. New York
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Perini v. Colosimo
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Black v. United States
- Cichos v. Indiana
- O'Connor v. Ohio
- Lewis v. United States
- United States v. Fabrizio
- Hoffa 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