Home > Great American Court Cases > Maryland v. Wilson

Legal Citation: 519 U.S. 408 (1997)

Petitioner
State of Maryland

Respondent
Jerry Lee Wilson

Petitioner's Claim
Maryland maintained that passengers of a vehicle should be expected to exit a vehicle when requested by a law officer.

Justices for the Court
Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor, William H. Rehnquist (writing for the Court), Antonin Scalia, David H. Souter, Clarence Thomas

Justices Dissenting
Anthony M. Kennedy, John Paul Stevens

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
16 February 1997

Decision
The Supreme Court held that it was consistent with the Fourth Amendment for an officer making a traffic stop to order passengers to get out of the vehicle until the completion of the stop.

Significance
The ruling determined that a police officer has...