Nix v. Williams
| Nix v. Williams | |
|---|---|
| Argued January 18, 1984 Decided June 11, 1984 | |
| Full case name | Nix, Warden of the Iowa State Penitentiary v. Williams |
| Docket no. | 82-1651 |
| Citations | 467 U.S. 431 (more) 104 S. Ct. 2501; 81 L. Ed. 2d 377 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Writ of habeas corpus denied, Williams v. Nix, 528 F. Supp. 664 (S.D. Iowa 1981); reversed, 700 F.2d 1164 (8th Cir. 1983); cert. granted, 461 U.S. 956 (1983). |
| Holding | |
| The evidence pertaining to the discovery and condition of the victim's body was properly admitted at respondent's second trial on the ground that it would ultimately or inevitably have been discovered even if no violation of any constitutional provision had taken place. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Burger, joined by White, Blackmun, Powell, Rehnquist, O'Connor |
| Concurrence | White |
| Concurrence | Stevens (in the judgment) |
| Dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. IV | |
Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431 (1984), was a U.S. Supreme Court case that recognized an "inevitable discovery" exception to the exclusionary rule. The exclusionary rule makes some evidence gathered through violations of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure, inadmissible in criminal trials as "fruit of the poisonous tree". In Nix, the Court ruled that evidence that would inevitably have been discovered by law enforcement through legal means remained admissible.