United States v. Matlock

William Matlock (defendant) was arrested in the front yard of a home he shared a bedroom in with Gayle Graff, whose parents rented the house; officers then obtained Graff's consent to search the home, including the bedroom she said she shared with Matlock, and found incriminating evidence. The district court, excluding as hearsay Graff's statements about sharing the bedroom with Matlock and evidence the couple held themselves out as married, found the government had not proven Graff's consent bound Matlock and suppressed the evidence; the court of appeals affirmed, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.