Summary Of The Supreme Court Case Of Davis V. The United States

The Supreme Court case of Davis v. the United States (2011) addressed the application of the exclusionary rule established that the exclusionary rule does not apply when the police conduct a search in when acting in good faith. This essay will summarize the case’s merits, examine implications for applying the exclusionary rule, and explore the impact of the exclusionary rule on law enforcement and the prosecution. Summary In Davis v. United States (2011), the Supreme Court determined the legality of evidence obtained during a traffic stop. Passenger Willie Davis gave a fake name to police, and the car was searched after officers smelt alcohol (Davis v. United States, 564 U.S. 229 (2011) 2011). According to the Mercer Law Review article “Davis and the Good

The vehicle’s search was based on precedent that was eventually overturned; thus, Davis argued the firearm should be suppressed under the exclusionary rule as it violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The central question of the case was whether evidence obtained in a search that was conducted in good faith and reliance on binding precedent should be subject to suppression under the exclusionary rule (de Golian, 2012). The Supreme Court ruled that under the exclusionary rule, evidence is not excluded if during the search, it is obtained by officers who reasonably rely on a warrant that is later invalidated (Exclusionary rule 2022). How the Supreme Court Case Reflects on the Exclusionary Rule The Fourth Amendment’s exclusionary rule has historically operated as a deterrent against unlawful police behavior and safeguard individuals from government overreach. Davis v. The United States reflects the exclusionary rule by acknowledging challenges faced by law enforcement officers who interpret and apply complex precedent in real life situations. Davis acknowledges that not all constitutional violations can be used to justify the suppression of