New York v. Belton Case Brief Summary | Law Case Explained

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New York v. Belton | 453 U.S. 454 (1981)

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals from unreasonable, warrantless searches by police. The United States Supreme Court has defined what constitutes a search, when police can search without a warrant, and when a search is unreasonable. Searches of cars and searches that occur during an arrest are often complicated by constitutional concerns. In New York versus Belton, the Court considered whether, after arresting an individual who was in a car, police can search the entire passenger compartment of the car.

A police officer stopped the car Roger Belton and three others were in for speeding. It turned out that none of the occupants owned the car, nor were they related to the car’s owner. The officer also smelled marijuana and spotted an envelope on the floor that he associated with marijuana. The officer ordered everyone out of the car and arrested them. The officer then picked up the envelope and confirmed that it contained marijuana. The officer read the occupants their rights and searched them. The officer then searched the car and found Belton’s jacket. He unzipped the pockets and found cocaine inside.

Belton was subsequently indicted for possession of a controlled substance. He moved to suppress the cocaine, claiming the search violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The trial court denied the motion. Belton pleaded to a lesser offense, while preserving his Fourth Amendment claim, and appealed.

The Appellate Division upheld the conviction. The New York Court of Appeals reversed, concluding that the search was improper. Belton didn’t have access to the jacket, so the officer had no legitimate safety concerns to justify the search. The United States Supreme Court granted cert.

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