United States v. Place

Petitioner

United States

Respondent

Raymond J. Place

Petitioner's Claim

That the government should be allowed to perform search and seizure of baggage without needing to provide probable cause.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Alan I. Horowitz

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

James D. Clark

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor (writing for the Court), Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Edward Douglass White

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

20 June 1983

Decision

The Court ruled that the respondent should not be prosecuted, but noted that searches of baggage are allowable when reasonable suspicion is raised.

Related Cases

• Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968).
• Commissioners v. Johnston, 530 A2d 74 (1987).
• United States v. Letsinger, 93 F.3d 140 (1996).
• People v. Evans, 689 N.E.2d 142 (1997).

Sources

Knappman, Edward W., ed. Great American Trials. Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press, 1994.

Further Readings

• New York Times, June 21, 1983.
• "Terry v. Ohio," West's Encyclopedia of American Law. St. Paul: West Group, 1998.