Miller v. United States
| Miller v. United States | |
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| Argued January 28, 1958 Decided June 23, 1958 |
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| Full case name | William Miller v. United States |
| Citations | 357 U.S. 301 (more)
78 S.Ct. 1190; 2 L.Ed.2d 1332
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| Prior history | 100 U.S. App. D.C. 302, 244 F.2d 750 |
| Holding | |
| Petitioner could not lawfully be arrested in his home by officers breaking in without first giving him notice of their authority and purpose, the arrest was unlawful, the evidence seized was inadmissible, and the conviction is reversed. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Brennan, joined by Warren, Black, Frankfurter, Whittaker, Douglas |
| Concurrence | Harlan |
| Dissent | Clark, joined by Burton |
| Laws applied | |
| Fourth Amendment | |
Miller v. United States, 357 U.S. 301 (1958), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that one could not lawfully be arrested in one's home by officers breaking in without first giving one notice of their authority and purpose.
At 1:35 AM on March 25, 1955, Federal Bureau of Narcotics agents serving an arrest warrant arrested a heroin user named Clifford Reed on a public street in Washington D.C. for various offenses related to narcotics. While in custody, Reed informed federal narcotics agents that he purchased 100 capsules of morphine from a drug dealer named Arthur R. Shepherd via a middleman named William Miller, who was 17 years old at the time. Miller had several run-ins with the law, being convicted of a narcotics offense in 1953. Reed told agents that he was to meet Shepherd in the later morning hours to make another purchase. The agents then enlisted Reed to aid in the capture of Miller and Shepherd.
Later, at about 3:00, an undercover agent carrying $100 in marked currency, got in a taxicab with Reed that was going to Shepherds' home. Reed introduced the undercover agent to Shepherd as a buyer. The agent gave Shepherd the money, the latter promising that another 100 capsules would be procured from Miller, and delivered to the agent's home. Shepherd then got into a taxicab to get to Miller's apartment. The taxi was monitored by federal agents, along with Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police officers. As Shepherd got out of the taxi, he went into the apartment, which Miller and a woman involved in the operation named Bessie Byrd lived in a two-bedroom and two-bathroom room. Shepherd entered the basement to remove the drugs from storage, where federal agents could not observe him. A few minutes later, Shepherd came out of the basement and re-entered the cab.
Shepherd was going back to Reed's apartment when the police officers pulled the car over, and he was then arrested and searched. The currency that was given to him by the agent was not found on his person, but he admitted to the officers that the 100 capsules of morphine found on the passenger seat were planted by him after the cab was pulled over. He claimed that the package of capsules was behind a fire extinguisher in the basement hallway, where he was sent by a "fellow" with Reed, who had promised him $10 for retrieving it.
The federal agents and police then returned to Miller's apartment. At about 3:45, they knocked on the door, and a low voice was heard, saying,"Who's there?" The reply was,"Police." Miller opened the door using an attached chain and asked what their purpose was. When the agent and officer did not respond, he attempted to close the door. When the door was being closed, both of them, according to the officer,"He took one look at me and tried to slam the door, at which time I grabbed the door and opened it. We put our hands inside the door and pulled and ripped the chain off." They did not have a search warrant or an arrest warrant either, nor did they demand admission into the home or express their purpose. Miller was not arrested until they entered his apartment. Bessie Byrd was arrested and $34 that was revealed to be part of the money that Shepherd was given, was found on her person. During a search of the apartment, the remaining 66$ was found in both a hatbox located in the closet and under the covers of a bed.
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