The Supreme Court decided 4th Amendment protections against illegal searches and seizures extend to passengers in a vehicle.
The court said a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police would feel constrained from leaving the scene, which is effectively an illegal seizure.
"When a police officer makes a traffic stop, the driver of the car is seized within the meaning of the 4th Amendment. The question in this case is whether the same is true of a passenger," said the court.
"We hold that a passenger is seized as well and so may challenge the constitutionality of the stop."
The justices struck down a decision from the California Supreme Court that an officer stopping a vehicle has not ...