Collins v. Virginia
In brief
The Court said the automobile exception did not permit this entry without a warrant, overturned the Virginia ruling, and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded).
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 8-1 · May 29, 2018 · Opinion by Justice Thomas
- What it’s about
- In this case, a police officer entered a home's driveway without a warrant to lift a tarp and search a motorcycle parked near the house.
- Who it affects
- This means police cannot use the automobile exception alone to enter the area immediately around a home without a warrant. Because the Court sent the case back, the final outcome for Collins remains unresolved.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment's automobile exception does not allow police to enter a home or its immediate surroundings without a warrant to search a vehicle.
The case tested whether the automobile exception could override the Fourth Amendment’s protection for a home and the area immediately around it.
Question presented
Does the Fourth Amendment's automobile exception permit a police officer without a warrant to enter private property in order to search a vehicle parked a few feet from the house?
What the Court decided
Holding
The automobile exception does not permit the warrantless entry of a home or its curtilage in order to search a vehicle therein. Pp. 3– 14. 292 Va. 486, 790 S. E. 2d 611, reversed and remanded.
- Result
- Reversed
The vote
From the opinions
“The Fourth Amendment prohibits “unreasonable” searches. What the police did in this case was entirely reasonable. The Court’s decision is not.”
What's next
The case was sent back to the lower court (remanded) for further proceedings under the Supreme Court’s rule. The decision does not state the final outcome of Collins’s case.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
New analysis added
Opinion added: opinion
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Brief added: Questions Presented
More questions
- What did the Supreme Court decide in Collins v. Virginia?
- It decided that the automobile exception does not let police enter a home or its immediate surroundings without a warrant to search a vehicle.
- What happened to the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling?
- The Court overturned the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling and sent the case back to the lower court (remanded).
- How does Collins v. Virginia matter for searches near a home?
- Police cannot use the automobile exception alone to enter a home’s immediate surroundings without a warrant to search a vehicle.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.