Florida v. Jimeno (1990)
- Docket
- 90-622
- Decided
- 1990-01-01
Summary
Question: Does a suspect's consent to a search of his vehicle extend to closed containers found inside? Conclusion: Yes. In a 7-to-2 decision, the Supreme Court held that the search did not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches. "The touchstone of the Fourth Amendment is reasonableness," wrote Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in the majority opinion. "We think it was objectively reasonable for the police to conclude that the general consent to search respondent's car included consent to search containers within that car which might bear drugs. A reasonable person may be expected to know that narcotics are generally carried in some form of a container."