Supreme Court of the United States
Alabama v. White
June 11, 1990496 U.S. 325
Summary
Justice White delivered the opinion of the Court, holding that an anonymous tip, corroborated by independent police observation of significant predicted behavior, supplied reasonable suspicion for the investigatory stop of White's car. Applying the totality of the circumstances, the Court emphasized that accurate predictions of future conduct suggested inside knowledge and lent reliability to the allegation of criminal activity, although the case was close. The Court reversed and remanded. Justice Stevens dissented, joined by Justices Brennan and Marshall, arguing that predictions of ordinary, innocent travel did not reliably establish knowledge of criminal activity and that the decision exposed citizens to stops based on malicious or fabricated anonymous tips.
Holding
- Whether the corroborated anonymous tip provided reasonable suspicion to stop White's vehicle.. Under the totality of the circumstances, the anonymous tip, as corroborated by police, exhibited sufficient indicia of reliability to justify the investigatory stop under the Fourth Amendment.
Docket 89-789
Cited by
- State of Connecticut v. Robert Courchesne
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Appellee v. Abdul M. Zhahir, Appellant
- Hayward T. Henderson v. State of Maryland
- State of Missouri, Appellant v. Curtis Franklin, Respondent
- The People of the State of Illinois, Appellee v. Marc A. Close, Appellant
- State of Florida, Petitioner v. Anthony L. Hankerson, Respondent
- State of Utah, Plaintiff and Petitioner v. Jose Baltarcar Roybal, Defendant and Respondent
- The People, Plaintiff and Respondent v. Susan Wells, Defendant and Appellant