Home > Great American Court Cases > Illinois v. Lafayette

Legal Citation: 462 U.S. 640 (1983)

Petitioner
State of Illinois

Respondent
Ralph Lafayette

Petitioner's Claim
The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit the search of an arrestee's personal knapsack and closed containers contained therein as part of a routine inventory search conducted while as the arrestee is being booked into jail.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Michael A. Ficaro

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Peter A. Carusona

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger (writing for the Court), Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting
None

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
20 June 1983

Decision
When an arrestee is being...