THORNTON v. UNITED STATES: certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the fourth circuit.

THORNTON v. United States (Supreme Court case); THORNTON, Marcus; SEARCHES & seizures (Law); CRIMINAL procedure; LAW enforcement; LEGAL judgments; UNITED States. Supreme Court; ACTIONS & defenses (Law)

The article presents information on U.S. Supreme Court case Thornton v. United States, case number 03-5165 argued on March 31, 2004 and decided on May 24, 2004. Police officer Deion Nichols found narcotics and weapon in the vehicle of petitioner Marcus Thornton. Thorton was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and a possession of a firearm. He argued that the firearm was seized as a result of unconstitutional search. The petitioner's motion to suppress was denied by the District Court, arguing that the search was valid under New York v. Belton and Nichols could have conducted an inventory search of the automobile. Thornton challenged the denial of the suppression motion and stated that Belton was limited to situations where contact was initiated by an officer with an arrestee while he was still an occupant of the car. The appeal was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals.