NCJ Number
127002
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 59 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1990) Pages: 26-32
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
During its 1989-90 term, the United States Supreme Court ruled on several cases of particular interest to law enforcement, including cases involving the fourth and fifth amendments.
Abstract
Fourth amendment decisions clarified the scope of a protective sweep, ruled that inadvertence is not a requirement of a plain-view seizure, and upheld the validity of a highway checkpoint designed to deter drunk driving. The Court also found that a search based on a police officer's reasonable belief in the apparent authority of a person to consent to the search is valid. Moreover, the Court ruled that the fourth amendment does not apply to a search in a foreign country or the home of a foreign national being tried in the United States. Fifth amendment decisions involved an incarcerated inmate's incriminating statements and the admissibility of an illegally arrested suspect's incriminating statement outside the home in which the arrest took place. The Court also decided cases involving first and sixth amendment issues.