Herring v. United States

A Coffee County investigator, checking for warrants on Herring (defendant), was told by a Dale County clerk that an active warrant existed and requested a faxed confirmation copy; the Dale County clerk then discovered the actual warrant had been recalled and immediately notified Coffee County, but by the time that correction reached the investigator ten to fifteen minutes later, he had already stopped, arrested, and searched Herring's car, finding drugs and a gun. Herring moved to suppress the evidence since no warrant actually existed, but the trial court denied the motion, finding the investigator acted in good faith so the exclusionary rule's deterrent purpose wasn't served; the court of appeals affirmed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.