Ex Parte State of Alabama. (in Re G.m. v. State of Alabama)

Summary

The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Criminal Appeals, holding that a school official’s search of a student based solely on the student’s association with a peer who possessed cocaine and on speculative gang affiliation does not satisfy the reasonable‑suspicion standard required under the Fourth Amendment; therefore the evidence must be suppressed. The Court noted that the State’s reliance on legitimate governmental interests does not justify such a search. A specially‑concurring opinion agreed with the holding but argued that the exclusionary rule should not apply to school‑disciplinary proceedings.