United States v. Hensley
469 U.S. 221 · Decided January 8, 1985 · 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
United States v. Hensley was decided on January 8, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 469 U.S. 221 · 105 S. Ct. 675 · 83 L. Ed. 2d 604 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 34
- Docket number
- 83-1330
- Decided
- January 8, 1985
- Argued
- November 5, 1984
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Hensley
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-015, docket 1984-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- New Jersey v. T. L. O.
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- United States v. Sharpe
- Winston v. Lee
- Hayes v. Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- United States v. Johns
- California v. Carney
- Florida v. Meyers
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- New York v. Class
- Michigan v. LongAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Florida v. Rodriguez
- Thompson v. Louisiana
- Luce v. United States
- United States v. Abel
- United States v. Powell
- Garcia 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