| New Jersey v. T. L. O. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued March 28, 1984 Reargued October 2, 1984 Decided January 15, 1985 | |
| Full case name | State of New Jersey v. T. L. O. |
| Citations | 469 U.S. 325 (more) 105 S. Ct. 733; 83 L. Ed. 2d 720; 1985 U.S. LEXIS 41; 53 U.S.L.W. 4083 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Reargument | Reargument |
| Decision | Opinion |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Defendant convicted sub. nom. State ex rel. T. L. O. 178 N.J. Super. 329, 428 A.2d 1327 (Middlesex County Ct., 1980); Affirmed, 185 N.J. Super. 279, 448 A.2d 493 (App. Div., 1982); conviction reversed 94 N.J. 331, 463 A.2d 934 (1983); cert. granted, 464 U.S. 991 (1983). |
| Holding | |
| The Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures only partially applies to searches conducted by public school officials (administrators), and the search of T. L. O.'s purse was reasonable. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | White, joined by Burger, Powell, Rehnquist, O'Connor |
| Concurrence | Powell, joined by O'Connor |
| Concurrence | Blackmun |
| Concur/dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
| Concur/dissent | Stevens, joined by Marshall; Brennan (Part I) |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend IV | |
New Jersey v. T. L. O.,[fn 1] 469 U.S. 325 (1985), is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States which established the standards by which a public school official can search a student in a school environment without a search warrant, and to what extent.
The case centered around a student at Piscataway High School in Middlesex County, New Jersey, known then only by her initials T. L. O.,[fn 2] who was searched for contraband after she was caught smoking in a school bathroom. She was sent to the principal's office, where the assistant vice principal searched her purse and found marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and documentation of drug sales. She was suspended from the school and charged by police for the paraphernalia found in the search, but fought the charges on the basis that the search of her purse violated the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure.
The New Jersey Superior Court affirmed the constitutionality of the search, but the Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed, holding that the search of her purse was unreasonable. On appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court held that the Fourth Amendment applies to searches conducted by school officials in a school setting. However, school officials do not need to have probable cause nor obtain a warrant before searching a student. Instead, in order for a search to be justified, school officials must have "reasonable suspicion" that the student has violated either the law or school rules. In a 6–3 decision delivered by Justice Byron White, the Court ruled that the school's search of T. L. O.'s purse was constitutional, setting a new precedent for school searches and student privacy.
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