Whren v. United States
- Decided
- May 15, 1996
- Docket
- 95-5841
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 7,105 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that the proper focus of Fourth Amendment inquiry is objective conduct, and not subjective intent, of police officer — Hart v. O'Brien (1997)
- holding that “[sjubjective intent ... alone does not make otherwise lawful conduct illegal or unconstitutional” — Ziegler v. Aukerman (2008)
- holding that under the Fourth Amendment the motive of the officer when stopping a vehicle for a minor traffic infraction, whether subjective or objective, is completely irrelevant — State v. Ladson (1999)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
[*808] Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court.
In this case we decide whether the temporary detention of a motorist who the police have probable cause to believe has committed a civil traffic violation is inconsistent with the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable seizures unless a reasonable officer would have been motivated to stop the car by a desire to enforce the traffic laws.
I
Statutes cited
Cite this
Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996)Read the full opinion
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