Carpenter v. United States

Decided June 22, 2018. John Glover Roberts Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 16-402 · 585 U.S. 296 (2018) · Cited 1,201 times

Holding

The Government’s acquisition of Carpenter’s cell-site records from his wireless carriers was a Fourth Amendment search; and the Government did not obtain a warrant supported by probable cause before acquiring those records.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• United States v. Jones · 565 U.S. 400 (2012)
• Katz v. United States · 389 U.S. 347 (1967)
• Smith v. Maryland · 442 U.S. 735 (1979)
• United States v. Miller · 425 U.S. 435 (1976)
• Oklahoma Press Publishing Co. v. Walling · 327 U.S. 186 (1946)
• United States v. Knotts · 460 U.S. 276 (1983)
• Minnesota v. Carter · 525 U.S. 83 (1998)
• Kyllo v. United States · 533 U.S. 27 (2001)
• Boyd v. United States · 116 U.S. 616 (1886)
• Rakas v. Illinois · 439 U.S. 128 (1978)
• Olmstead v. United States · 277 U.S. 438 (1928)
• United States v. Calandra · 414 U.S. 338 (1974)
• Donovan v. Lone Steer, Inc. · 464 U.S. 408 (1984)
• Florida v. Jardines · 569 U.S. 1 (2013)
• United States v. Dionisio · 410 U.S. 1 (1973)
• United States v. Nixon · 418 U.S. 683 (1974)
• United States v. Di Re · 332 U.S. 581 (1948)
• Silverman v. United States · 365 U.S. 505 (1961)
• Soldal v. Cook County · 506 U.S. 56 (1992)
• United States v. Morton Salt Co. · 338 U.S. 632 (1950)
• California v. Greenwood · 486 U.S. 35 (1988)
• Wilson v. Arkansas · 514 U.S. 927 (1995)
• Ex Parte Jackson · 96 U.S. 727 (1878)
• McPhaul v. United States · 364 U.S. 372 (1960)
• Terry v. Ohio · 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
• Carroll v. United States · 267 U.S. 132 (1925)
• Mincey v. Arizona · 437 U.S. 385 (1978)
• Oliver v. United States · 466 U.S. 170 (1984)
• United States v. Powell · 379 U.S. 48 (1964)
• Kentucky v. King · 563 U.S. 452 (2011)

Official text

Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)

Explore from here

John Glover Roberts Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2018). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).