United States v. Turkette
452 U.S. 576 · No. 80-808 · 1980 term · Burger Court
Decided Jun 17, 1981 · argued Apr 27, 1981
Criminal procedure · Statutory construction of criminal laws: narcotics includes regulation and prohibition of alcohol
Majority opinion: Byron White
The voteMajorityDissent
8–18 in the majority, 1 in dissent
1 dissent (8–1)
Reversed. United States won.
What this ruling means
Reversed: the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, and its own ruling ends the case.
United States was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Won” means the Court gave that side the result it asked for.
From the Supreme Court Database. A justice who agreed with the result but not the reasoning counts in the majority.
Summary
The opening of the case’s Wikipedia article: what the case was about and what the Court held.
Wikipedia has no article on this case, so there is no summary.
Data notes
The text is Wikipedia’s (CC BY-SA 4.0), matched to the case by its citation, docket number or name and year, and is not checked against the opinion. The site keeps the article’s opening section, ending on its last full sentence. The one-sentence summary under the title is the Decisions list’s: Wikipedia’s own ruling sentence, or, tagged “AI-written”, one Claude wrote from this opening.
How the justices voted
Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 1980 term. Filled: the 8 in the majority. Hollow: the 1 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.
Majority(8)
Byron WhiteWrote the majority opinion
Thurgood MarshallJoined the majority
William BrennanJoined the majority
John StevensJoined the majority
Harry BlackmunJoined the majority
Lewis PowellJoined the majority
Warren BurgerJoined the majority
William RehnquistJoined the majority
Dissent(1)
Potter StewartWrote a dissent
Data notes
Each justice’s vote and what they wrote are from the justice-centered file of the Supreme Court Database. “Wrote a concurrence” means the justice sided with the majority and wrote separately; a justice who dissented in part is counted on the side they took overall. A justice who wrote nothing is listed as joining their side.
Positions are each justice’s Martin–Quinn score for the case’s term, the same scores as the Ideology page: negative is more liberal, positive more conservative. A score sums up a justice’s votes across the whole term, so it says where they usually sit, not why they voted as they did here. The median line is the Court’s median justice that term.
The parties
Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.
- Petitioner
- United StatesUnited States
- Respondent
- TurkettePerson accused, indicted, or suspected of crime
- Reached the Court by
- Certiorari (the Court chose to hear it)
- Why it was taken
- Federal appeals courts had ruled differently on the question
Data notes
The names are the two sides of the case’s title. The description under each is the Supreme Court Database’s category for that party, in its own wording. The petitioner is the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the decision below. “Why it was taken” appears only when the majority opinion says lower courts disagreed or were unsure about the question; reasons that would fit any case (“to resolve the question presented”, “an important question”) are left out.
The law at issue
The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.
- Provision
- Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
- Kind of law
- Federal Statute
- Decided by
- Statutory construction
Data notes
The Supreme Court Database codes the main constitutional provision, statute or court rule each case turned on, and the basis of the decision: judicial review of a federal or state law, interpreting a statute, supervising the lower courts, and so on. A case can rest on more than one. “Overruled” counts only where the majority opinion says so.
Timeline
What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.
- Jun 17, 1981DecidedDecided · Decided 8–1: reversed. United States won.
- Apr 27, 1981ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
- Not datedTaken upTaken up · The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (certiorari). Federal appeals courts had ruled differently on the question.
- Not datedCourt belowCourt below · Decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit: reversed.
- Not datedBeganBegan · The case began in the Massachusetts U.S. District Court.
Data notes
From the Supreme Court Database: the court the case began in, the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed and what that court did, how the case came to the Court, and the dates of argument and decision. The database does not date the steps in the lower courts. Court names are the database’s.
Other decisions on the same issue
26 other argued cases since 1946 on statutory construction of criminal laws: narcotics includes regulation and prohibition of alcohol, newest first.
- Ruan v. United States142 S. Ct. 2370Jun 27, 2022 · 142 S. Ct. 2370Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Terry v. United States141 S. Ct. 1858Jun 14, 2021 · 141 S. Ct. 1858Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Taylor v. United States579 U.S. 301Jun 20, 2016 · 579 U.S. 301Criminal procedure7–18–1 band
- McFadden v. United States576 U.S. 186Jun 18, 2015 · 576 U.S. 186Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Rosemond v. United States572 U.S. 65Mar 5, 2014 · 572 U.S. 65Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- Burrage v. United States571 U.S. 204Jan 27, 2014 · 571 U.S. 204Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Frantz Depierre, Petitioner v. United States564 U.S. 70Jun 9, 2011 · 564 U.S. 70Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Clifton Terelle McNeill, Petitioner v. United States563 U.S. 816Jun 6, 2011 · 563 U.S. 816Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Kevin Abbott, Petitioner v. United States562 U.S. 8Nov 15, 2010 · 562 U.S. 8Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
- Salman Khade Abuelhawa v. United States556 U.S. 816May 26, 2009 · 556 U.S. 816Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Keith Lavon Burgess v. United States553 U.S. 124Apr 16, 2008 · 553 U.S. 124Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Michael A. Watson v. United States552 U.S. 74Dec 10, 2007 · 552 U.S. 74Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative and Jeffrey Jones532 U.S. 483May 14, 2001 · 532 U.S. 483Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
- Eddie Richardson v. United States526 U.S. 813Jun 1, 1999 · 526 U.S. 813Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Edwards v. United States523 U.S. 511Apr 28, 1998 · 523 U.S. 511Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Meirl Gilbert Neal v. United States516 U.S. 284Jan 22, 1996 · 516 U.S. 284Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Juan Paul Robertson514 U.S. 669May 1, 1995 · 514 U.S. 669Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Posters 'N' Things, Ltd., et al. v. United States511 U.S. 513May 23, 1994 · 511 U.S. 513Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. a Parcel of Land, Buildings, Appurtenances and Improvements, Known As 92 Buena Vista Avenue, Rumson, New Jersey, et al.507 U.S. 111Feb 24, 1993 · 507 U.S. 111Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Richard L. Chapman, John M. Schoenecker and Patrick Brumm v. United States500 U.S. 453May 30, 1991 · 500 U.S. 453Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- Daniel Touby et ux. v. United States500 U.S. 160May 20, 1991 · 500 U.S. 160Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Moshe Gozlon-Peretz v. United States498 U.S. 395Feb 19, 1991 · 498 U.S. 395Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Bifulco v. United States447 U.S. 381Jun 16, 1980 · 447 U.S. 381Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- United States v. Moore423 U.S. 122Dec 9, 1975 · 423 U.S. 122Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
- Warden, Lewisburg Penitentiary v. Marrero417 U.S. 653Jun 19, 1974 · 417 U.S. 653Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Bradley et al. v. United States410 U.S. 605Mar 5, 1973 · 410 U.S. 605Criminal procedure8–18–1 band
Data notes
Every other orally argued case with a clear vote, from the 1946 term on, that the Supreme Court Database files under the same issue as this one. The database gives each case one issue from a list of about 270 (abortion, search and seizure of vehicles, the death penalty, and so on), whatever law it turned on.
Official record
Read the full opinion on Justia and the argument audio on Oyez. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.