United States v. Griffin’s Empirical Analysis
729 F.2d 475 · 1984
Citation profile
25 federal appellate · 2 district · 15 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 51 later decisions (1 by the Supreme Court) — most recently August 2014 · most notably Colorado v. Bertine (1987), United States v. Jefferson (1991)
25 federal appellate · 2 district · 15 state decisions — followed in 12 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Applies 21 U.S.C. § 841 (§ 401 of the Controlled Substances Act)
Relies on Carroll v. United States · Coolidge v. New Hampshire · Rakas v. Illinois · Delaware v. Prouse · United States v. Ross
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 51 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“[t]he authority of police to seize and remove from the streets vehicles impeding traffic or threatening public safety and convenience is beyond challenge.”
3 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority“We are hardly in a position to second-guess police departments as to what practical administrative method will best deter theft by and false claims against its employees and preserve the security of the station house. It is evident that a station-house search of every item carried on or by a person who has lawfully been taken into custody by the police will amply serve the important and legitimate governmental interests involved. Even if less intrusive means existed of protecting some particular types of property, it would be unreasonable to expect police officers in the every day course of business to make fine and subtle distinctions in deciding which containers or items may be searched and which must be sealed as a unit.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence“In applying the reasonableness standard adopted by the Framers, [the] Court has consistently sustained police intrusions into automobiles impounded or otherwise in lawful police custody where the process is aimed at securing or protecting the car and its contents. Thus, the justification for an inventory search does not rest on probable cause and the absence of a warrant is immaterial to the reasonableness of the search.”
1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.