Vale v. Louisiana
399 U.S. 30 · Decided June 22, 1970 · 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
Vale v. Louisiana was decided on June 22, 1970 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 399 U.S. 30 · 90 S. Ct. 1969 · 26 L. Ed. 2d 409 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 18
- Docket number
- 727
- Decided
- June 22, 1970
- Argued
- March 4, 1970
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent |
Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun.
Full case caption
Vale v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-118, docket 1969-118-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Kelley v. Arizona
- United States v. Van Leeuwen
- Colonnade Catering Corp. v. United States
- Wyman v. James
- United States v. White
- Chimel v. CaliforniaAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Perini v. Colosimo
- Crouse v. Wood
- Hocker v. Heffley
- Whiteley v. Warden
- Coolidge v. New Hampshire
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Debacker v. Brainard
- United States v. Knox
- Minor v. United States
- Morales v. New York
- Molinaro v. New Jersey
- Sigler v. Parker
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