Steagald v. United States
451 U.S. 204 · Decided April 21, 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
Steagald v. United States was decided on April 21, 1981 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 451 U.S. 204 · 101 S. Ct. 1642 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 38 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 89
- Docket number
- 79-6777
- Decided
- April 21, 1981
- Argued
- January 14, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Steagald v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-075, docket 1980-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Donovan v. Dewey
- Michigan v. Summers
- 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