9.3: California v. Greenwood

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Page ID: 54417

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PETITIONER RESPONDENT

California Greenwood

DOCKET NO. DECIDED BY

86 - 684 Rehnquist Court

LOWER COURT

State appellate court

CITATION

486 US 35 (1988)

ARGUED

Jan 11, 1988

DECIDED

May 16, 1988

ADVOCATES

Michael J. Pear Argued the cause for the petitioner

Michael Ian Garey By appointment of the Court, argued the cause for the respondents

Facts of the case

Local police suspected Billy Greenwood was dealing drugs from his residence. Because the police did not have enough evidence for a warrant to search his home, they searched the garbage bags Greenwood had left at the curb for pickup. The police uncovered evidence of drug use, which was then used to obtain a warrant to search the house. That search turned up illegal substances, and Greenwood was arrested on felony charges.

Question

Did the warrantless search and seizure of Greenwood's garbage violate the Fourth Amendment's search and seizure guarantee?

Conclusion

7 -2 Decision for CA Majority Opinion By Byron R. White

FOR	AGAINST
Blackmun Stevens White O’Connor Rehnquist	Brennan Marshall

FOR

AGAINST

Blackmun

Stevens

White

O’Connor

Rehnquist

Brennan

Marshall

Voting 6 to 2, the Court held that garbage placed at the curbside is unprotected by the Fourth Amendment. The Court argued that there was no reasonable expectation of privacy for trash on public streets "readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public." The Court also noted that the police cannot be expected to ignore criminal activity that can be observed by "any member of the public."

Contributors and Attributions

Larry Alvarez (Faculty of Administration of Justice Instructor and Administration of Justice at College of the Canyons)