Aug 16, 20232 min read

Remington 742 Serial Number

Justice Powell was a member of the five-Justice majority in Class that endorsed the plurality holding in Cardwell that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in the exterior of an automobile. See Class, 475 U.S. at 107, 106 S.Ct. at 962; see also id. at 120, 106 S.Ct. at 969 (Powell, J., concurring) ("Unquestionably, [an] officer ... may look through the windshield, observe the [vehicle identification number], and record it without implicating any Fourth Amendment concerns." (emphasis added)). Justice White, who was a member of the Cardwell plurality, dissented in Class. See id. at 131, 106 S.Ct. at 975 (White, J., dissenting). By the time Class was decided, however, Justice O'Connor, who authored Class, had succeeded Justice Stewart, who was one of the Cardwell dissenters. See Cardwell, 417 U.S. at 596, 94 S.Ct. at 2472 (Stewart, J., dissenting). Therefore, at least five current and former Supreme Court Justices have embraced Cardwell

See, e.g., United States v. Muniz-Melchor, 894 F.2d 1430, 1434-36 (5th Cir.) (external fuel tank), cert. denied, 495 U.S. 923, 110 S.Ct. 1957, 109 L.Ed.2d 319 (1990); United States v. Hensel, 699 F.2d 18, 32 (1st Cir.) (license plate), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 958, 103 S.Ct. 2431, 77 L.Ed.2d 1317, 464 U.S. 823, 104 S.Ct. 91, 78 L.Ed.2d 99, and 464 U.S. 824, 104 S.Ct. 94, 78 L.Ed.2d 100 (1983); United States v. Michael, 645 F.2d 252, 259-60 (5th Cir.) (en banc ) (Clark, J., specially concurring) (beeper attached to vehicle exterior), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 950, 102 S.Ct. 489, 70 L.Ed.2d 257 (1981); United States v. Humphries, 636 F.2d 1172, 1178-79 (9th Cir.1980) (license plate number), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 988, 101 S.Ct. 2324, 68 L.Ed.2d 846 (1981); Dorris v. State, 656 P.2d 578, 582 (Alaska Ct.App.1982) (tires); Tackett v. State, 307 Ark. 520, 822 S.W.2d 834, 836 (1992) (paint scrapings and auto parts); Watkins v. State, 296 Ark. 345, 756 S.W.2d 907, 908 (1988) (license plate); Deshazier v. State, 155 Ga.App. 526, 271 S.E.2d 664, 667 (1980) (exterior photographs and paint scrapings); State v. Skelton, 247 Kan. 34, 795 P.2d 349, 358 (1990) (exterior soil and vegetation samples); Department of Transp. v. Armacost, 299 Md. 392, 474 A.2d 191, 198 (1984) (tailpipe exhaust gases); Conner v. State, 34 Md.App. 124, 366 A.2d 385, 387-89 (1976) (exterior serial number); People v. Smith, 162 Mich.App. 534, 413 N.W.2d 42, 44-45 (1987) (engine and transmission); State v. Serna, 290 N.W.2d 446, 447 (Minn.1980); State v. Roy, 265 N.W.2d 663, 665 (Minn.1978) (entire automobile); State v. Ball, 219 N.J.Super. 501, 505, 530 A.2d 833, 835 (App.Div.1987) (engine covered by only a blanket); State v. Bolton, 111 N.M. 28, 41-42, 801 P.2d 98, 111-12 (Ct.App.) (underside of truck), cert. denied, 111 N.M. 16, 801 P.2d 86 (1990); Commonwealth v. Mangini, 478 Pa. 147, 157, 386 A.2d 482, 487 (1978) (tires); Hudson v. State, 588 S.W.2d 348, 351-52 (Tex.Ct.Crim.App.1979) (exterior photograph)