Massachusetts v. Sheppard

Petitioner

State of Massachusetts

Respondent

Osborne Sheppard

Petitioner's Claim

That evidence found and used against Osborne Sheppard should not be suppressed because it was gathered using a defective warrant.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Barbara A. H. Smith

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

John Reinstein

Justices for the Court

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

Justices Dissenting

William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall

Place

Washington D.C.

Date of Decision

5 July 1984

Decision

Reversed the decision of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and held that evidence is admissible, even if gathered under a defective search warrant, as long as the police acted in good faith in executing what they believed was a valid warrant.

Related Cases

• Stanford v. Texas, 379 U.S. 476 (1965).
• United States v. Johnson, 459 U.S. 1214 (1983).
• Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213 (1983).
• United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984).

Further Readings

• Bessette, Joseph M., ed. American Justice, Vol. 2. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, Inc., 1996.
• West's Encyclopedia of American Law. St. Paul, MN: West Group, 1998.