United States v. Jeffers (342 U.S. 48)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided November 13, 1951 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 342 U.S. 48 · 72 S. Ct. 93
- Decided
- November 13, 1951
- Term
- October Term 1951
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority author
- Justice Clark
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Mr. Justice Clark delivered the opinion of the Court. Here we are faced with troublesome questions as to the exclusion from evidence, on motion of the accused, of contraband narcotics claimed by him which were seized on the premises of other persons in the course of a search without a warrant. On the basis of the seized narcotics, the accused, respondent here, was convicted of violation of the narcotics laws, 26 U. S. C. § 2553 (a) and 21 U. S. C. § 174. Prior to trial the District Court had denied respondent’s motion to suppress, as evidence at the trial, the property seized. The Court of Appeals reversed the conviction by a divided court, '88 U. S. App. D. C. 58, 187 F. 2d 498. Since a determination of the question is important in the administration of criminal justice, we brought the case here. 340 U. S. 951. The evidence showed that one Roberts came to the Dunbar Hotel in the District of Columbia on Monday, September 12, 1949, at about 3,p. m., sought out the house detective, Scott, and offered him $500 to let him into a room in the hotel occupied by respondent’s two aunts, the Misses Jeffries. Roberts told Scott that respondent had “some stuff stashed” in the room. The house detective told Roberts to. call back later in the evening and he would *see about it. He then immediately reported the incident to Lieut. Karper, in charge, of the narcotics squad of the Metropolitan…
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