# State v. Valdez

> Washington Supreme Court · December 24, 2009 · 167 Wash. 2d 761

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4714276

## Case

- **Full name:** The State of Washington v. Jesus David Buelna Valdez, Respondent The State of Washington v. Reyes Rios Ruiz
- **Court:** Washington Supreme Court
- **Decided:** December 24, 2009
- **Citations:** 167 Wash. 2d 761
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Concurrence by Alexander
- **Judges:** Alexander, Chambers, Fairhurst, Johnson, Madsen, Owens, Sanders, Stephens
- **Cited by:** 118 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4714276

## How later opinions describe it (automated extraction)

- noting that the narrowest ground on which a majority agrees represents the holding of the case

## Opinion text

Alexander, C.J.
¶41 (concurring) — I concur in the result reached by the majority. I do so solely on the basis that the officers who seized contraband from Jesus Valdez’s automobile exceeded the scope of a search incident to arrest when *780 they searched an area of the automobile that was not within the passenger compartment and thereby violated article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution. See majority at 778. Consistent with reasoning this court set forth in State v. Patton, 167 Wn.2d 379 , 396 n.9, 219 P.3d 651 (2009), I would have us not reach the Fourth Amendment question “ [b] ecause we [can] resolve this case on independent and adequate state grounds under article I, section 7.” See also, e.g., Dreiling v. Jain, 151 Wn.2d 900 , 915 n.6, 93 P.3d 861 (2004) (“Because of our substantive resolution of these questions on state common law and constitutional grounds, we do not reach the [Seattle] Times’ federal theories.” (citing Seattle Times Co. v. Ishikawa, 97 Wn.2d 30 , 640 P.2d 716 (1982))); City of Seattle v. McCready, 123 Wn.2d 260, 281-82 , 868 P.2d 134 (1994) (unnecessary to reach Fourth Amendment argument given determination that warrants at issue violated article I, section 7).

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/4714276. Public record. Not legal advice.