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No. 20-982October Term 2020Decided Apr 19, 2021Updated Apr 19, 2021

Docket 20-982October Term 2020 (2020–2021)

Brown v. Polk County

This case asks whether jail officials violated the Fourth Amendment by performing a physical, penetrative search of a pretrial detainee’s vagina and/or anus after she was jailed on a minor offense.

Case status

Decided · April 19, 2021

Read the opinion (PDF)
Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released Apr 19, 2021
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedApr 19, 2021
What it's about

This case asks whether jail officials violated the Fourth Amendment by performing a physical, penetrative search of a pretrial detainee’s vagina and/or anus after she was jailed on a minor offense. The Seventh Circuit allowed the search based on mere reasonable suspicion, and the petitioner argues that such an invasive search should require stronger legal justification.

Question presented

Did the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals correctly conclude that the constitutional standard for conducting a manual cavity search of a pretrial detainee was reasonable suspicion based on prior precedent from the United States Supreme Court and other Courts of Appeals?

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit / Decision released Apr 19, 2021

Area

Decided Supreme Court case

Timing

Decided April 19, 2021

The Court released its decision on April 19, 2021 without hearing oral argument.

Activity

Docket activity2
  • Opinion added: Opinion

    Apr 19, 2021 | Court records

  • Brief added: Petition

    Jan 15, 2021 | Court records

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Jul 25, 2026
Primary materials5