|
|
District of Columbia v. Little, 339 U.S. 1 (1950)
Contents:
Show Summary
Hide Summary
General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
District of Columbia v. Little, 339 U.S. 1 (1950)
District of Columbia v. Little No. 302 Argued January 11-12, 1950 Decided February 20, 1950 339 U.S. 1
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
Syllabus
Receiving information that respondent’s home was in an unsanitary condition, a health officer went there, without a search warrant, for the purpose of inspecting it. Respondent was away and the door was locked, but she returned while the officer was standing outside the door. She protested his right to enter, claiming that it would violate her constitutional rights, and she refused to unlock the door; but she neither used nor threatened force of any kind. She was convicted of violating a District of Columbia regulation making it a misdemeanor to interfere with or prevent the inspection of any building reported to be in an unsanitary condition.
Held:
1. Respondent’s mere refusal to unlock the door on substantial constitutional grounds was not the kind of interference prohibited by the regulation. Pp. 4-7.
2. The foregoing conclusion makes it unnecessary to decide whether the Fourth Amendment forbade the health officer to enter respondent’s home without a search warrant. Pp. 3-4.
85 U.S.App.D.C. 242, 178 F.2d 13, affirmed on other grounds.
Respondent was convicted of violating a District of Columbia regulation making it a misdemeanor to interfere with or prevent the inspection of a building reported to be in an unsanitary condition. The Municipal Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia reversed on constitutional grounds. 62 A.2d 874. The Court of Appeals affirmed. 85 U.S.App.D.C. 242, 178 F.2d 13. This Court granted certiorari. 338 U.S. 866. Affirmed on other grounds, p. 7.
Contents:
Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," District of Columbia v. Little, 339 U.S. 1 (1950) in 339 U.S. 1 339 U.S. 2. Original Sources, accessed November 22, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SJ42F13ZQMT63XN.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." District of Columbia v. Little, 339 U.S. 1 (1950), in 339 U.S. 1, page 339 U.S. 2. Original Sources. 22 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SJ42F13ZQMT63XN.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in District of Columbia v. Little, 339 U.S. 1 (1950). cited in 1950, 339 U.S. 1, pp.339 U.S. 2. Original Sources, retrieved 22 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=SJ42F13ZQMT63XN.
|