Opinion

Maryland v. Buie

  • 494 U.S. 325
  • 110 S. Ct. 1093
  • 108 L. Ed. 2d 276
  • 1990 U.S. LEXIS 1176
Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Filed
Mar 5, 1990
Status
Published
Author
Kennedy
On the bench
Blackmun, Brennan, Kennedy, Marshall, O'Connor, Rehnquist, Stevens, White
Cited by
1,889 cases

Reported superseded by statute, as recognized in State v. Laboo — not on the Supreme Court's list

explaining that “a protective sweep, aimed at protecting the arresting officers, if justified by the circumstances, is nevertheless not a full search of the premises, but may extend only to a cursory inspection of those spaces where a person may be found” and may last “no longer than it takes to complete the arrest and depart the premises”

How later courts described this case

  • explaining that “a protective sweep, aimed at protecting the arresting officers, if justified by the circumstances, is nevertheless not a full search of the premises, but may extend only to a cursory inspection of those spaces where a person may be found” and may last “no longer than it takes to complete the arrest and depart the premises”
  • holding that officers may search beyond the area immediately adjoining the place of arrest whenever “articulable facts which, taken together with the rational inferences from those facts, would warrant a reasonably prudent officer in believing that the area to be swept harbors an individual posing a danger to those on the arrest scene”
  • holding that to justify protective sweep of premises in which arrest is made "there must be articulable facts which, taken together with the rational inferences from those facts, would warrant a reasonably prudent officer in believing that the area to be swept harbors an individual posing a danger to those on the arrest scene"
  • concluding that officers who had an arrest warrant and probable cause to believe that the defendant was in his house could search anywhere in the. house in which he might be found, but that once he was found there was no longer that particular justification for entering any rooms that had not yet been searched

Written by the judges who cited it.

Later courts went against this

  • Reported superseded by statute, as recognized in State v. Laboo — not on the Supreme Court's list

    494 U.S. 325, 337 (1990) (recognizing an exception to the Fourth Amendment requirement of a search warrant where officers have a reasonable belief based on facts that “the area to be swept harbors an individual posing a danger to those on the arrest scene”), superseded by rule as stated in State v. Laboo, 933 A.2d 4
    New Jersey Superior Court Appellate DivisionSep 28, 2007by statuteunconfirmed confidenceRead it

Distinguished

  • Distinguished by Guzman v. Commonwealth, 2012 Ky. LEXIS 84 (2012)

    We agree that Buie is clearly distinguishable.
    Kentucky Supreme CourtJun 21, 2012Read it
  • Distinguished by Commonwealth v. DeJesus, 70 Mass. App. Ct. 114 (2007)

    Both decisions relied on the quoted language from Maryland v. Buie, but both are distinguishable from the defendant’s case.
    Massachusetts Appeals CourtSep 12, 2007Read it
  • Distinguished by United States v. Bute, 823 F. Supp. 1561 (1993)

    Maryland v. Buie, 494 U.S. 325, 110 S.Ct. 1093, 108 L.Ed.2d 276 (1990), upon which the defendants heavily rely, is distinguishable on both the facts and law applicable to the case at hand.
    District Court, D. UtahJun 18, 1993Read it

The opinion

Justice Kennedy,

concurring.

The Court adopts the prudent course of explaining the general rule and permitting the state court to apply it in the first instance. The concurrence by Justice Stevens, however, makes the gratuitous observation that the State has a formidable task on remand. My view is quite to the contrary. Based on my present understanding of the record, I should think the officers’ conduct here was in full accord with standard police safety procedure, and that the officers would have been remiss if they had not taken these precautions. This comment is necessary, lest by acquiescence the impression be left that Justice Stevens’ views can be interpreted as authoritative guidance for application of our ruling to the facts of the case.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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