March 28 - Today in Legal History
March 28, 2000 – 'Stop And Frisk' Limited
In Florida v. J.L., the U.S. Supreme Court limits police power to stop and frisk a person. The case involved an anonymous call to the Miami-Dade County Police Department reporting that a youth at a bus stop was armed. The 16-year-old "J.L." was searched and a gun found. The defense moved to suppress the weapon, arguing that the search was illegal. In a unanimous decision, the court agreed, declaring that "an anonymous tip that a person is carrying a gun is not, without more, sufficient to justify a police officer's stop and frisk of that person."
Related Resources:
- Audio: Gang Loitering (Justice Talking)
- Florida v. J.L. (FindLaw)
- Your Rights: Search and Seizure (FindLaw)
