Great American Court Cases | Adams v. Williams

Legal Citation: 407 U.S. 143 (1972)

Petitioner
Frederick E. Adams

Respondent
Robert Williams

Petitioner's Claim
That a police officer does not violate the Fourth Amendment by reaching in to a car window and removing a gun from the waistband of a driver when the officer has reason to believe that the suspect is armed and dangerous.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Donald A. Browne

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Edward F. Hennessey III

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, Warren E. Burger, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
12 June 1972

Decision
As long as an officer is...