Pennsylvania v. Labron (1995)
- Docket
- 95-1691
- Decided
- 1995-01-01
Summary
Question: Does the Fourth Amendment, as applied to the States through the Fourteenth, require police to obtain a warrant before searching an automobile unless exigent circumstances are present? Conclusion: No. In a 7-2 per curiam opinion, the Court held that if a vehicle is readily mobile and probable cause exists to believe it contains contraband, the Fourth Amendment permits police to search the vehicle and contraband seized from such a search should not be suppressed. The Court noted that early cases establishing the automobile exception were based on the automobile's ready mobility, an exigency sufficient to excuse failure to obtain a search warrant once probable cause to conduct the search is clear. Justice John Paul Stevens, who was joined by Justine Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dissented.