New York Court of Appeals
The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Frank Robinson, Appellant; the People of the State of New York…
December 18, 200197 N.Y.2d 341
Summary
The Court held that a traffic stop based on probable cause for a traffic violation does not violate Article I, § 12 of the New York State Constitution even if the officer’s primary motivation is to investigate unrelated criminal activity, adopting Whren v. United States as the controlling rule. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the Appellate Division’s orders in People v. Robinson and People v. Glenn, reversed the Monroe County Court’s dismissal in People v. Reynolds, denied the defendant’s motion to suppress, and remanded the case for further proceedings.