United States v. Sokolow (1988)
- Docket
- 87-1295
- Decided
- 1988-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the search violate the Fourth Amendment? Conclusion: The Court upheld the search and reasoned that the agents had a "reasonable suspicion that respondent was engaged in wrongdoing." Chief Justice Rehnquist argued that the validity of such a stop should be based on the "totality of the circumstances," (United States v. Cortez, 1981), which, in this case, gave agents a clear reason to suspect Sokolow of drug trafficking.