New Jersey v T.L.O. Appeals Process:
Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court in Middlesex County brought delinquency charges against T.L.O. based on confession and evidence seized T.L.O. moved to suppress evidence found and confession. She alleged Fourth Amendment rights were violated and argued that confession was tainted by unlawful search, a possible Fifth Amendment violation. New Jersey v T.L.O. Appeals P rocess
New Jersey v. T.L.O. Appeals Process:
Juvenile Court denied motion based on reasonable suspicion and reasonable cause to maintain school discipline. T.L.O. sentenced to one year’s probation. T.L.O. appealed. State of New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed no Fourth Amendment violation. Evidence was not suppressed. Sentence was removed. New Jersey v. T.L.O. Appeals Process
New Jersey v T.L.O. Appeals Process:
Court requested determination as to whether T.L.O. had knowingly and voluntarily waived rights before confession. Possible Fifth Amendment violation T.L.O. appealed to Supreme Court of New Jersey who reversed Appellate Division ruling and ordered evidence in purse could not be used, reasoning that: “if an official search violates constitutional rights, the evidence is not admissible in criminal proceedings” State of New Jersey petitioned for certiorari (re-examination of trial court actions) relative to Exclusionary Rule (admissibility of evidence obtained without a warrant). New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a search of a student’s purse without a warrant was unreasonable. New Jersey v T.L.O. Appeals Process
New Jersey v. T.L.O. Appeals Process:
United States Supreme Court ruled that students and minors have a lower expectation of privacy . Reasonableness of search is dependent on context. Need to search must be balanced with maintaining school discipline. “School officials need not obtain a warrant before searching a student who is under their authority” Reasonable suspicion /reasonable cause used as standard New Jersey v. T.L.O. Appeals Process
New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985):
Constitutional Issues Do students in school have the same rights as adults under the Fourth Amendment? Does “probable cause” have to be established for a search of a student in school or is “reasonable cause” enough? Both questions were answered by the decisions on this case. New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)