Home > Great American Court Cases > Schneckloth v. Bustamonte

Legal Citation: 412 U.S. 218 (1973)

Petitioner
Merle R. Schneckloth, Superintendent, California Conservation Center

Respondent
Robert Clyde Bustamonte

Petitioner's Claim
The appeals court erred when it held that the state had to prove that the person who gave consent to the police for a search had knowledge of the right to refuse consent.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Robert R. Granucci

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Stuart P. Tobisman

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

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

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
29 May 1973

Decision
When the state seeks to...