Griffin v. Wisconsin
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued April 20, 1987
Decided June 26, 1987
Full case nameGriffin v. Wisconsin
Citations483 U.S. 868 (more)
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia
Case opinion
MajorityJustice Scalia

Griffin v. Wisconsin, 483 U.S. 868 (1987), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 26, 1987. The court decided that the warrantless search of a probationer's residence based on "reasonable grounds" in accordance with a state probation regulation did not violate the Fourth Amendment.[1][2]

Background

After being convicted in a Wisconsin state court of several offenses, Griffin was placed on probation. According to a Wisconsin regulation, any probation officer could search a probationer's residence without a warrant as long as the officer's supervisor approved and that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that contraband was present. After Griffin's probation officer received information that there might be firearms in his apartment, police searched Griffin's apartment and found a handgun. Griffin was subsequently charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The state trial court denied Griffin's motion to suppress the evidence obtained and he was convicted. On appeal, both Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed the conviction.[2][3][4]

Result

In a 5–4 decision delivered by Justice Scalia, the Court held that the warrantless search of Griffin's residence did not violate the Fourth Amendment as the search was conducted "pursuant to a regulation that itself satisfies the Fourth Amendment's reasonableness requirement under well-established principles."[1] The Court further reasoned that a state's probation system presented " 'special needs' beyond normal law enforcement that may justify departures from the usual warrant and probable cause requirements."[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 483 U.S. 868 (1987)
  2. 1 2 3 "Griffin v. Wisconsin, 483 U.S. 868 (1987)". Justia Law. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Griffin v. Wisconsin." Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/1986/86-5324. Accessed 24 Aug. 2023.
  4. ↑ "Warrantless Searches and Exceptionsto the Warrant Requirements", Constitutional Law for the Criminal Justice Professional, Routledge, pp. 141–156, March 16, 1999, ISBN 978-0-429-24610-4, retrieved January 4, 2024
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