Florida v. Meyers (1983)
- Docket
- 83-1279
- Decided
- 1983-01-01
Summary
Question: Was the Court's summary disposition of the case constitutionally legitimate? Conclusion: In a per curiam opinion, a majority of the Court held that the Florida court had misapplied the law and that a warrantless search of the automobile was permissible since the vehicle was already in police custody. The dissenting opinion, written by Justice Stevens, argued that the Supreme Court's decision to bypass the Florida Supreme Court judgment and to consider the case was ill-advised. Justice Stevens maintained that summarily disposing of such cases unduly enlarged the Supreme Court's responsibilities and deemed state judges incompetent to decide Fourth Amendment questions.