United States v. Knotts
United States v. Knotts | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Holding | |
A radio transmitter may be used without a warrant to aid the police in their physical pursuit of a suspect. | |
Court membership | |
| |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Rehnquist, joined by Burger, White, Powell, O'Connor |
Concurrence | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
Concurrence | Blackmun, joined by Brennan, Marshall, Stevens |
Concurrence | Stevens, joined by Brennan, Marshall |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. IV |
United States v. Knotts, 460 U.S. 276 (1983), was a
Background
Minnesota law enforcement agents suspected that one of the defendants was purchasing chloroform for the manufacture of methamphetamine, an illegal drug, and arranged with the manufacturer to have a radio transmitting beeper placed within the drum of chloroform the next time it was purchased. Following the purchase, the drum was placed into a vehicle driven by another defendant. Police followed the defendants' vehicle after the purchase, maintaining visual contact for most of the journey, however they had to use the beeper to find the cabin where the defendants stopped. The cabin was owned by Leroy Carlton Knotts, the respondent in this case. Following visual surveillance of his cabin, the authorities acquired a warrant to search the premises, and used the evidence found therein to convict Knotts.[3]
Decision
The Court ruled that a "person traveling in an automobile on public thoroughfares has no reasonable
Recent development
Nearly three decades later, the Court decided
See also
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 460
- Olmstead v. United States (1928)
- Kyllo v. United States (2001)
- Katz v. United States (1967)
- United States v. Garcia (2d Cir. 2007)
- United States v. Pineda-Moreno (9th Cir. 2010)
References
- ^ United States v. Knotts, 460 U.S. 276 (1983).
This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
- ^ a b Knotts, 460 U.S. at 285.
- ^ Knotts, 460 U.S. at 278–79.
- ^ Knotts, 460 U.S. at 281.
- ^ a b Knotts, 460 U.S. at 282.
- ^ Knotts, 460 U.S. at 282, 285.
- ^ Knotts, 460 U.S. at 284–85.
- ^ "United States v. Jones" (PDF). United States Supreme Court. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ a b "United States v. Jones" (PDF). Sotomayor's concurrence, p. 4; Alito's concurrence, p. 13.
External links
- Text of United States v. Knotts, 460 U.S. 276 (1983) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)