Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy (NVCJA) Practice Exam

What was the main argument in Whren v. United States (1996)?

1. Grounds for approaching the vehicle were justified

2. Suppression was granted

3. Grounds for approaching vehicle were pretextual and suppression was denied

4. Vehicle search was unwarranted

The correct answer is: Grounds for approaching vehicle were pretextual and suppression was denied

In Whren v. United States (1996), the central argument revolved around the issue of pretextual stops by law enforcement, specifically whether the officers had legitimate grounds for stopping a vehicle when they were actually motivated by a desire to investigate other potential criminal activity. The Supreme Court held that as long as an officer has probable cause to believe a traffic violation occurred, the stop is justified, even if the officer had ulterior motives, such as suspicion of drug trafficking. The ruling emphasized that the legality of the stop does not depend on the subjective intentions of the officer but rather on the objective circumstances that justified the stop. Hence, the court found that the officers' actions, even if driven by a desire to investigate drug-related activity, did not invalidate the traffic stop based on the observed violation (in this case, a minor traffic infraction). This understanding is essential as it establishes the significant precedent that traffic stops can be justified even when officers have secondary motives, thereby denying the suppression of evidence obtained during such stops if the initial reason for the stop holds up under scrutiny.