State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Drew Johnson, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the trial court’s suppression order, holding that the police satisfied all three elements of the plain view doctrine—lawful presence on the porch, inadvertent discovery, and probable cause that the object was contraband—so the seized bag was admissible. The matter was remanded to the Law Division for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Justice LONG, dissenting, would have affirmed the suppression.