Winston v. Lee
470 U.S. 753 · Decided March 20, 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
Winston v. Lee was decided on March 20, 1985 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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
- 470 U.S. 753 · 105 S. Ct. 1611 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 662 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 76
- Docket number
- 83-1334
- Decided
- March 20, 1985
- Argued
- October 31, 1984
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Winston, Sheriff, et al. v. Lee
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-057, docket 1984-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- United States v. Sharpe
- Hayes v. Florida
- Tennessee v. GarnerLaw held unconstitutional
- New Jersey v. T. L. O.
- United States v. Hensley
- Maryland v. Macon
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- California v. Carney
- United States v. Johns
- Lanier v. South Carolina
- Florida v. Meyers
- 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