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consent to a search. For the same reason, the Court reasoned it would be "unrealistic to require police officers to always inform detainees that they are free to go before a consent to search may be deemed voluntary." Rather, voluntariness is a fact to be determined from all the circumstances surrounding the search.
417:, writing for the majority, stated that "The touchstone of the Fourth Amendment is reasonableness," and reasonableness is measured by examining the totality of the circumstances. This kind of fact-specific inquiry does not accommodate bright-line rules, as the Court has repeatedly held. In fact, in
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Robinette left. Stevens argued that a reasonable person, when faced with such a question from a police officer during a traffic stop, would not feel free to leave and not feel free to refuse to answer. Accordingly, the officer had continued to detain
Robinette beyond the end of the traffic stop.
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concurred in the judgment of the Court. Ginsburg emphasized that the Court's holding only construed the Fourth
Amendment, and that in light of the particular circumstances present in Ohio—where stops similar to Robinette's were frequently used as a pretext to search for drugs—the Ohio
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the Court refused to adopt a rule that a search predicated on a suspect's consent is unreasonable unless the suspect knew he had the right to refuse to consent to the search. The Court reasoned it would be impractical to require the police to explain to a suspect in any detail his right to refuse
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These conclusions of the Ohio
Supreme Court were derived entirely from federal law, and thus did not impose a new obligation on other states in the guise of interpreting federal law. For this reason, Justice Stevens noted he would have affirmed the judgment of the Ohio Supreme Court.
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affirmed, ruling that the police must end a traffic stop by informing a motorist that they are free to leave before attempting to engage the motorist in a consensual interrogation or search their car. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the case.
367:, Robert Robinette was stopped for speeding. After verifying that Robinette had no prior violations, the officer asked Robinette to step out of his car before issuing him a verbal warning. The officer handed over Robinette's
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Before trial, Robinette moved to suppress the evidence seized from his car, but the trial court denied that request. Robinette then pleaded no contest to the charge. On appeal, the
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Supreme Court was free to adopt the first-tell-then-ask rule it articulated as part of Ohio law, without imposing that requirement on the rest of the states.
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in his car. Robinette said he did not. The officer asked
Robinette if he could search the car, and Robinette agreed. The officer found a small amount of
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to inform a motorist at the end of a traffic stop that they are free to go before seeking permission to search the motorist's
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concluded that the traffic stop was unlawful. The officer asked
Robinette if he could ask him one more question
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reversed the conviction, ruling that the search resulted from an illegal detention. The
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Rehnquist, joined by O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Breyer
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Supreme Court cases of the Rehnquist Court
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124:State of Ohio, Petitioner v. Robert D. Robinette
45:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
387:. Robinette was arrested for possession of a
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481:List of United States Supreme Court cases
76:Learn how and when to remove this message
204:does not require the police to inform a
589:United States Fourth Amendment case law
339:case in which the Court held that the
182:695 (Ohio 1995); certiorari granted,
88:1996 United States Supreme Court case
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371:, and then asked him if he had any
106:Supreme Court of the United States
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521:33 (1996) is available from:
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599:1996 in United States case law
359:While driving on a stretch of
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396:Ohio District Court of Appeal
335:, 519 U.S. 33 (1996), was a
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337:United States Supreme Court
174:Conviction reversed by the
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420:Schneckloth v. Bustamonte
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115:Decided November 18, 1996
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31:This article includes a
60:more precise citations.
113:Argued October 8, 1996
323:U.S. Const. amend. IV
389:controlled substance
148:117 S. Ct. 417; 136
553:Library of Congress
446:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
272:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
244:Sandra Day O'Connor
453:Dissenting opinion
400:Ohio Supreme Court
232:Associate Justices
176:Ohio Supreme Court
33:list of references
511:Ohio v. Robinette
504:Ohio v. Robinette
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343:does not require
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301:Concurrence
158:A.L.R. Fed.
58:introducing
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355:Background
154:U.S. LEXIS
152:347; 1996
381:marijuana
363:north of
208:during a
150:L. Ed. 2d
130:Citations
509:Text of
470:See also
457:Justice
304:Ginsburg
293:Majority
206:motorist
66:May 2024
535:Findlaw
526:Cornell
443:Justice
385:ecstasy
377:weapons
312:Stevens
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