Brinegar v. United States

Brinegar v. United States
Argued October 18–19, 1948
Decided June 27, 1949
Full case nameBrinegar v. United States
Citations338 U.S. 160 (more)
69 S. Ct. 1302; 93 L. Ed. 1879; 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2084
Case history
Prior165 F.2d 512 (10th Cir. 1948) (affirmed)
Holding
While the police need not always be factually correct in conducting a warrantless search, such a search must always be reasonable.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Fred M. Vinson
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · Stanley F. Reed
Felix Frankfurter · William O. Douglas
Frank Murphy · Robert H. Jackson
Wiley B. Rutledge · Harold H. Burton
Case opinions
MajorityRutledge, joined by Vinson, Black, Reed, Douglas, Burton
ConcurrenceBurton
DissentJackson, joined by Frankfurter, Murphy
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. IV

Brinegar v. United States, 338 U.S. 160 (1949), was a United States Supreme Court case employing the "reasonableness test" in warrantless searches. The Court held that while the police need not always be factually correct in conducting a warrantless search, such a search must always be reasonable.