Wyman v. James
400 U.S. 309 · Decided January 12, 1971 · 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
Wyman v. James was decided on January 12, 1971 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 400 U.S. 309 · 91 S. Ct. 381 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 408 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 106
- Docket number
- 69
- Decided
- January 12, 1971
- Argued
- October 20, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Wyman, Commissioner of New York Department of Social Services, et al. v. James
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-017, docket 1970-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- United States v. White
- Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics
- United States v. Harris
- Kelley v. Arizona
- Vale v. Louisiana
- United States v. Van Leeuwen
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Whiteley v. Warden
- Coolidge v. New Hampshire
- Perini v. Colosimo
- Crouse v. Wood
- Hocker v. Heffley
- Chambers v. Maroney
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Colombo v. New York
- Thompson v. United States
- North Carolina v. Alford
- Dutton v. Evans
- Procunier v. Atchley
- Mayberry v. Pennsylvania
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