United States v. Hensley

United States v. Hensley
Argued November 5, 1984
Decided January 8, 1985
Full case nameUnited States v. Thomas Hensley.
Citations469 U.S. 221 (more)
ArgumentOral argument
DecisionOpinion
Case history
PriorUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversal (713 F.2d 220 [1983])
Holding
Absent an official arrest warrant, there is enough reasonable suspicion to detain a person for Terry stop purposes if they match a description of a suspect under investigation as detailed in a wanted poster.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Case opinions
MajorityO'Connor, joined by unanimous
ConcurrenceBrennan
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend IV

United States v. Hensley, 469 U.S. 221 (1985), is a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that ruled that wanted posters create reasonable suspicion to detain and identify suspects that match descriptions contained in those posters.