Illinois v. Gates - Significance, The Exclusionary Rule, Invalid Warrant, Hints Of New Stance On Exclusionary Rule, Decision, "with Apologies"

court petitioner evidence william

Petitioner

State of Illinois

Respondent

Lance Gates

Petitioner's Claim

That evidence obtained via a search warrant that was later declared invalid could still convict.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Paul J. Biebel, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of Illinois

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

James W. Reilley

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, Warren E. Burger, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

8 June 1983

Decision

Reversed the Illinois Supreme Court's decision that prevented evidence seized from being presented at a criminal trial.

Related Cases

Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108 (1964).
Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410 (1969).
Kolendar v. Lawson, 461 U.S. 352 (1983).

Additional Topics

Illinois v. Gates - Further Readings

Illinois v. Gates - Significance

Illinois v. Gates - The Exclusionary Rule

Law-enforcement authorities need a valid warrant, or, in legal terms, a judicial writ, to search a citizen's home or person. Such guarantees, enshrined by the Constitution, are considered cornerstones of a free, non-totalitarian society. In some instances, searches and seizures do occur without a proper writ, or have been granted under spurious grounds by judges, but any evidence obtained with suc…

Illinois v. Gates - Invalid Warrant

Prior to Gates's trial, the respondents filed a motion to suppress the evidence, asserting the warrant that procured it had been obtained without "just cause." In legal terms, an anonymous tip is considered insufficient evidence for granting a search warrant. They were successful in this, and an appellate court upheld this decision suppressing all evidence. The Illinois Supreme Court also upheld t…

Illinois v. Gates - Hints Of New Stance On Exclusionary Rule

The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled consistently in matters concerning the exclusionary rule since 1914. Again and again, it confirmed that evidence obtained outside proper legal means could not be used in a criminal trial. Yet by the early 1980s, some conservatives had argued for exceptions to this rule. President Ronald Reagan asserted that the American people had lost faith in the legal system, vi…

Illinois v. Gates - Decision, "with Apologies"

When Illinois v. Gates first appeared before the Supreme Court in October of 1982, the state of Illinois had requested that the High Court decide whether "probable cause" was present in the police affidavit that requested the warrant. The Illinois assistant attorney general later requested to enlarge the question to include whether or not such evidence was admissible in court, based on the "reason…

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User Comments

over 2 years ago

Duane H DAVIS

if a search warrant and affidavit are rueld insufficient to search a house, under Illinois v. Gates will the totality-of-the-circumstances cover the warrantless search of the vehicle, under a controlled delivery by a government informant.