Rudolph Daniel Miffin, Jr. and Jermaine Darnell Johnson v. United States
1) Where a state has decriminalized simple possession of marijuana, can state and
local police, not acting in coordination with federal authorities but having probable
cause to believe that some small amount of marijuana will be found in a vehicle,
conduct a warrantless search of said vehicle pursuant to the automobile exception
to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement?
2) Where a state has decriminalized simple possession of marijuana, does the
presence of a de minimis amount of suspected marijuana on the driver of the
vehicle, detained by local police for a traffic infraction, provide probable cause for
local police (not acting in coordination with federal authorities) to conduct a
warrantless search of a closed bag on a driver when the driver has been secured,
is not in a position to access the vehicle nor the contents of the bag, and evidence
of the traffic infraction is unlikely to be found within the bag?
Where a state has decriminalized simple possession of marijuana, can state and local police conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle based on the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement when they have probable cause to believe a small amount of marijuana will be found?