Maryland v. Garrison

Petitioner

State of Maryland

Respondent

Garrison

Petitioner's Claim

That evidence taken from Garrison's apartment should not be suppressed even though the police officers used an overbroad warrant.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Stephen H. Sacks, Attorney General of Maryland

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Gerald A. Kroop

Justices for the Court

Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, John Paul Stevens (writing for the Court), Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

24 February 1987

Decision

Reversed the Maryland Court of Appeals ruling and held that the search warrant was valid and the execution of the warrant did not violate Garrison's rights under the Fourth Amendment, since the mistake made by the officers was understandable and reasonable.

Related Cases

• Steele v. United States, 267 U.S. 498 (1925).
• Brinegar v. United States, 338 U.S. 160 (1949).
• Hill v. California, 401 U.S. 797 (1971).
• Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443 (1971).

Sources

Levy, Leonard W., ed. Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. New York: Macmillan, 1986.

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt. Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court, 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1996.
• West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Vol. 4. St. Paul, MN: West Group, 1998.
• Wieber, Michael C. "The Theory and Practice of Illinois v. Rodriguez." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, fall 1993, p. 604.