United States v. Cortez

United States Supreme Court

449 U.S. 411 (1981)

Relevant factsFree

The source casebook excerpt for this case did not include a Facts section -- only the Rule of Law, Issue, and Holding and Reasoning were provided, and the Holding and Reasoning section did not name the authoring justice. This entry's facts and judge attribution are therefore incomplete pending review of the full opinion.

IssueFree

Whether, in deciding to stop a person, law enforcement must have a particularized and objective basis -- grounded in the totality of the circumstances -- for suspecting that specific person of criminal activity.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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