No. 16-1371October Term 2017Decided May 14, 2018
Byrd v. United States
This case is about whether police may search a rental car without a warrant when the driver has the renter’s permission to use the car but is not listed on the rental agreement.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released May 14, 2018
- What it's about
This case is about whether police may search a rental car without a warrant when the driver has the renter’s permission to use the car but is not listed on the rental agreement. The Court held that being left off the rental contract alone does not take away an otherwise reasonable expectation of privacy in the car.
Question presented
Does a driver have a reasonable expectation of privacy in a rental car when he has the renter's permission to drive the car but is not listed as an authorized driver on the rental agreement?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit / Decision released May 14, 2018
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided May 14, 2018
The Court released its decision on May 14, 2018 without hearing oral argument.
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology