Whren v. United States

The Supreme Court found probable cause that the defendant’s vehicle was involved in a traffic violation. The Court also found that the plainclothes officers would not have stopped the vehicle but for their concern that the vehicle might be involved in drug activity. As a general matter, the Court held that stopping an automobile is reasonable if the police officer has probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred. Therefore, the Court was only left to consider whether the officers’ pretextual intent in stopping the vehicle converted an otherwise reasonable police activity into an unlawful stop. While previous decisions left no doubt that the officer’s motive can invalidate inventory searches and administrative inspections, the Court has never held the officer’s motives relevant in any other area. The Court held that “subjective intentions play no role in ordinary, probable-cause Fourth Amendment analysis.” The seizure was lawful.