State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Eileen Pierce, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the New Jersey Constitution’s Article I, paragraph 7 prohibits applying the New York v. Belton rule to warrantless vehicle searches incident to arrests for motor‑vehicle offenses. Consequently, the search of the van after the driver’s custodial arrest was unconstitutional and the cocaine evidence must be suppressed, reversing the Appellate Division and remanding for further proceedings.