Jimmy Alfonso Autran, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court held that Article I, § 9 of the Texas Constitution provides greater protection than the Fourth Amendment in the context of vehicle inventories, rendering the inventory of closed containers in appellant's car unconstitutional. Accordingly, the Court reversed the Court of Appeals' judgment and remanded for further proceedings. The opinion notes that the inventory violated the Texas constitutional privacy interest in closed containers despite departmental policy. Separate opinions include a dissent by Judge McCORMICK, who would have upheld the inventory, and concurrences by Judges Clinton, Maloney, and Campbell, each joining the judgment for distinct reasons.