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Legal References on Drug Policy

Federal Court Decisions on Drugs by Decade

1990

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
Year Title and Summary

1990
US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. WALTER HARPER - No. 88-599 - 1990.SCT.1174 , 494 U.S. 210, 110 S. Ct. 1028, 108 L. Ed. 2d 178, 58 U.S.L.W. 4249  - February 27, 1990

1990

US Supreme Court

ILLINOIS v. RODRIGUEZ -  June 21, 1990

Respondent was arrested in his apartment and charged with possession of illegal drugs, which the police had observed in plain view and seized. The officers did not have an arrest or search warrant, but gained entry to the apartment with the assistance of Gail Fischer, who represented that the apartment was "ours" and that she had clothes and furniture there, unlocked the door with her key, and gave the officers permission to enter. The trial court granted respondent's motion to suppress the seized evidence, holding that at the time she consented to the entry Fischer did not have common authority because she had moved out of the apartment. The court also rejected the State's contention that, even if Fischer did not have common authority, there was no Fourth Amendment violation if the police reasonably believed at the time of their entry that she possessed the authority to consent. The Appellate Court of Illinois affirmed.

Held:

1. The record demonstrates that the State has not satisfied its burden of proving that Fischer had "joint access or control for most purposes" over respondent's apartment, as is required under United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, n. 7, to establish "common authority." Pp. 181-182.

1991
US Supreme Court

CALIFORNIA v. HODARI D. - No. 89-1632 - 1991.SCT.2395 , 499 U.S. 621, 111 S. Ct. 1547, 113 L. Ed. 2d 690, 59 U.S.L.W. 4335 - April 23, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

FLORIDA, PETITIONER v. LUZ PIEDAD JIMENO ET AL. - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES -  No. 90-622 - 1991.SCT.2905 , 500 U.S. 248, 111 S. Ct. 1801, 114 L. Ed. 2d 297, 59 U.S.L.W. 4471 -   May 23, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

CARLOS EDUARDO FERNANDEZ, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES - No. 90-7210 - 1991.SCT.3002 , 500 U.S. 948, 111 S. Ct. 2249, 114 L. Ed. 2d 490, 59 U.S.L.W. 3793 - May 28, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

RICHARD L. CHAPMAN, JOHN M. SCHOENECKER AND PATRICK BRUMM, PETITIONERS v. UNITED STATES - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 90-5744 - 1991.SCT.3013 , 500 U.S. 453, 111 S. Ct. 1919, 114 L. Ed. 2d 524, 59 U.S.L.W. 4530 - May 30, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

CALIFORNIA, PETITIONER v.  CHARLES STEVEN ACEVEDO - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 89-1690 - 1991.SCT.3016 , 500 U.S. 565, 111 S. Ct. 1982, 114 L. Ed. 2d 619, 59 U.S.L.W. 4559 - May 30, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

ARIZONA, PETITIONER v. CHRISTOPHER REED KEMPTON - No. 90-1379 - 1991.SCT.3307 , 501 U.S. 1212, 111 S. Ct. 2815, 115 L. Ed. 2d 987, 59 U.S.L.W. 3822  - June 10, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

FLORIDA, PETITIONER v.  TERRANCE BOSTICK - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 89-1717 - 1991.SCT.3475 , 501 U.S. 429, 111 S. Ct. 2382, 115 L. Ed. 2d 389, 59 U.S.L.W. 4708  -June 20, 1991

1991
US Supreme Court

RONALD ALLEN HARMELIN, PETITIONER v. MICHIGAN - No. 89-7272 - 1991.SCT.3666 , 501 U.S. 957, 111 S. Ct. 2680, 115 L. Ed. 2d 836, 59 U.S.L.W. 4839  - June 27, 1991

1992
US Supreme Court

JAMES ARMIN FOWNER, PETITIONER V. UNITED STATES - No. 91-7169 - 1992.SCT.2959 , 112 S. Ct. 1998, 118 L. Ed. 2d 594, 60 U.S.L.W. 3778 - May 18, 1992

1992
US Supreme Court

MARC GILBERT DOGGETT, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES - No. 90-857 - 1992.SCT.3745 , 112 S. Ct. 2686, 120 L. Ed. 2d 520, 60 U.S.L.W. 4741 - June 24, 1992

1992

Superior Court - Alaska

 

STATE OF ALASKA,  Plaintiff, v. PATRICK A. MC NEIL, Defendant.

 

1993
US Supreme Court

UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. SHARON DUNNIGAN - No. 91-1300 - 1993.SCT.1342 , 113 S. Ct. 1111, 122 L. Ed. 2d 445, 61 U.S.L.W. 4180 - February 23, 1993

1993
US Supreme Court

JOHN ANGUS SMITH, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES - No. 91-8674 - 1993.SCT.3276 , 113 S. Ct. 2050, 124 L. Ed. 2d 138, 61 U.S.L.W. 4503 - June 1, 1993

1993
US Supreme Court

MINNESOTA, PETITIONER v. TIMOTHY DICKERSON - No. 91-2019 - 1993.SCT.3408 , 113 S. Ct. 2130, 124 L. Ed. 2d 334, 61 U.S.L.W. 4544 - June 7, 1993

1993
US Supreme Court

RICHARD LYLE AUSTIN, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES No. 92-6073  0 1993.SCT.3942 , 113 S. Ct. 2801, 125 L. Ed. 2d 488, 61 U.S.L.W. 4811 - June 28, 1993

1993
US Supreme Court

BENNIS v. MICHIGAN - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - Decided March 4, 1996

1993
US Supreme Court

UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v.  ALVIN J. DIXON AND MICHAEL FOSTER - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 91-1231 - 1993.SCT.3944 , 113 S. Ct. 2849, 125 L. Ed. 2d 556, 61 U.S.L.W. 4835  - June 28, 1993

1994
US Supreme Court

KEVIN ALBRIGHT, PETITIONER v.   ROGER OLIVER, ETC., ET AL. - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 92-833 - 1994.SCT.680 , 114 S. Ct. 807, 127 L. Ed. 2d 114, 62 U.S.L.W. 4078 = January 24, 1994

1994
US Supreme Court

UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. RALPH STUART GRANDERSON, JR. - No. 92-1662 - 1994.SCT.2019 , 114 S. Ct. 1259, 127 L. Ed. 2d 611, 62 U.S.L.W. 4190 - March 22, 1994

1994
US Supreme Court

FREDEL WILLIAMSON, PETITIONER  v. UNITED STATES - No. 93-5256 - 1994.SCT.4198 , 114 S. Ct. 2431, 129 L. Ed. 2d 476, 62 U.S.L.W. 4639 - June 27, 1994

1995
US Supreme Court

BAILEY v. UNITED STATES - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - No. 94-7448. Argued October 30, 1995

1996
US Supreme Court

ANTHONY LEO STUTSON   v.  UNITED STATES - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES -  No. 94-8988. -   January 8, 1996

1996
US Court of Appeals
Fourth Circuit

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. EMMANUEL ODEMENA, Defendant-Appellant. - UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. EMMANUEL IKECHUKWU ANUDU, a/k/a Cletis, a/k/a Claytus, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 92-5756 - February 16, 1996

1996
US Supreme Court

RUTLEDGE v. UNITED STATES - SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES - Syllabus - Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.- No. 94-8769. March 27, 1996

1996
US Court of Appeals
Fourth Circuit

UNITED STATES v. ARMSTRONG et al. Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. No. 95-157. Decided May 13, 1996

1998
US Court of Appeals
Fourth Circuit

Lynn V. West  - No. 96-1371  - UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

The main question in this case is whether a North Carolina tax on illegal drugs is in reality a criminal penalty. North Carolina's Controlled Substance Tax (Drug Tax), N.C. Gen. Stat.§§ 105-113.105 through 105-113.113, imposes a special excise tax on"dealers" who illegally possess a sufficient quantity of a "controlled substance," as that term is defined in the state criminal code. The statute requires drug dealers to submit a form reporting their illegal possession and to pay the tax. In return, dealers are supposed to receive stamps to affix to the drugs before they are resold. Payment of the Drug Tax does not make possession or resale legal, however. It should come as no surprise that no drug dealer has ever filed a form and voluntarily paid this tax.

. . .  We further hold that the Drug Tax, like any other criminal penalty, cannot be enforced without the constitutional safeguards that accompany criminal proceedings. We therefore affirm the district court in part and reverse in part.