Illinois v. McArthur

Illinois v. McArthur
Argued November 1, 2000
Decided February 20, 2001
Full case nameIllinois v. Charles McArthur
Citations531 U.S. 326 (more)
121 S. Ct. 946; 148 L. Ed. 2d 838; 2001 U.S. LEXIS 962
Case history
PriorPeople v. McArthur, 304 Ill. App. 3d 395, 713 N.E.2d 93 (App. 4th Dist. 1999); leave to appeal denied, 185 Ill. 2d 651, 720 N.E.2d 1101 (1999); cert. granted, 529 U.S. 1097 (2000).
Holding
Police officers who had probable cause to believe an individual was hiding drugs in his home, and who blocked the individual from entering while awaiting a search warrant, did not violate the Fourth Amendment.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
David Souter · Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer
Case opinions
MajorityBreyer, joined by Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsburg
ConcurrenceSouter
DissentStevens
Laws applied
US const. amend. IV

Illinois v. McArthur, 531 U.S. 326 (2001), was a United States Supreme Court case decided in 2001. The case concerned the extent of the government's power to limit an individual's complete control of their home pending the arrival of a search warrant. A divided Court held that the search was not unconstitutional because there was a reasonable law-enforcement need to acquire a warrant, namely, to prevent the potential destruction of evidence within the home.