Welsh v. Wisconsin
466 U.S. 740 · Decided May 15, 1984 · 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
Welsh v. Wisconsin was decided on May 15, 1984 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 466 U.S. 740 · 104 S. Ct. 2091 · 80 L. Ed. 2d 732 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 82
- Docket number
- 82-5466
- Decided
- May 15, 1984
- Argued
- October 5, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Welsh v. Wisconsin
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-094, docket 1983-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Massachusetts v. Upton
- Oliver v. United States
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Delgado
- United States v. Jacobsen
- Hudson v. Palmer
- United States v. Karo
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Florida v. Meyers
- United States v. Johns
- Michigan v. LongAltered precedent
- California v. Carney
- Texas v. Brown
- Lanier v. South Carolina
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Autry v. Estelle
- Russello v. United States
- Torres-Valencia v. United States
- Maggio v. Williams
- Wainwright v. Goode
- Sullivan v. Wainwright
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