Legal Commentary

Supreme Court Rules 8 to 1 That School's Strip Search of Teen Illegal

By Jeralyn

In an eight-to-one decision, the Supreme Court ruled this morning thaat “a school’s strip search of an Arizona teenage girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal.”

Who dissented? Clarence Thomas.

Writing for the majority, and finding there was a Fourth Amendment violation, Justice David Souter said:

"Savana's subjective expectation of privacy against such a search is inherent in her account of it as embarrassing, frightening, and humiliating. … Here, the content of the suspicion failed to match the degree of intrusion."

The Court also ruled, however, that the school officials are immune from personal liability for the strip search.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 25, 2009 (boomark / email).