John Crittenden, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court affirmed the Court of Appeals, holding that under Article I, § 9 of the Texas Constitution an objectively valid traffic stop is not unlawful even if the officer had an ulterior motive, thereby adopting a purely objective test for pretextual seizures. The majority reasoned that this approach aligns with its prior decision in Garcia and the weight of authority favoring the objective standard. A dissent argued that the objective test abandons the pretext doctrine and advocated a modified‑objective review, urging reversal and suppression of the evidence.