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United States v. Robinson

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Concurrence
  
Powell

Date
  
1973

Full case name
  
United States v. Willie Robinson, Jr.

Citations
  
414 U.S. 218 (more)94 S.Ct. 467, 38 L.Ed.2d 427

Prior history
  
Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Subsequent history
  
153 U.S.App.D.C. 114, 471 F.2d 1082, reversed

Majority
  
Rehnquist, joined by Burger, Stewart, White, Blackmun, Powell

United States v. Robinson, 414 U.S. 218 (1973), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that "in the case of a lawful custodial arrest a full search of the person is not only an exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment, but is also a reasonable search under that Amendment."

Contents

Facts

A Washington D.C. Metropolitan police officer stopped a 1965 Cadillac based on reliable information that the driver's operating license had been revoked. All three occupants exited the car, and the officer arrested the driver, Robinson. (For purposes of the Court's opinion, it was assumed that Robinson's full-custody arrest was valid.) The officer proceeded to search Robinson, and felt a package whose contents the officer could not immediately identify. Upon removing the package—a crumpled cigarette packet—and opening it, the officer discovered "14 gelatin capsules of white powder" that turned out to be heroin.

Issue

Did the officer's search of the defendant violate the Fourth Amendment?

Holding

According to the Robinson Court "in the case of a lawful custodial arrest a full search of the person is not only an exception to the warrant requirement of the 4th Amendment, but is also a reasonable search under that Amendment."

References

United States v. Robinson Wikipedia


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