Chimel v. California
United States Supreme Court
395 U.S. 752 (1969)
Relevant factsFree
Police arrested Chimel (defendant) at his home under a valid warrant for burglary, then conducted a warrantless, wall-to-wall search of the entire house without his consent, finding coins and other items later introduced at trial; the appellate courts upheld the search as incident to a lawful arrest, and Chimel appealed.
IssueFree
Whether a warrantless search incident to a lawful arrest may extend to an entire home, or is instead limited to the area within the arrestee's immediate possession and control.