Explain, in detail, the case of New Jersey v. T.L.O

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The answer should include the following points:
• Issue examined: In New Jersey v. T.L.O., the U.S. Supreme Court examined whether Fourth
Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures apply to the school setting.
• Facts of the case: On March 7, 1980, a teacher at Piscataway High School in Middlesex County, New Jersey, discovered two adolescent females smoking in a bathroom. He reported this violation of school rules to the principal's office, and the two females were summoned to meet with the assistant vice principal. When one of the females, T.L.O., claimed that she had done no wrong, the assistant principal demanded to see her purse; on examining it, he found a pack of cigarettes and cigarette rolling papers, some marijuana, a pipe, a large amount of money, a list of students who owed T.L.O. money, and letters that implicated her in marijuana dealing. T.L.O. confessed later at the police station to dealing drugs on school grounds.
• The verdict: Juvenile court found T.L.O. delinquent and sentenced her to a year's probation, but she appealed her case to the New Jersey Supreme Court on the grounds that the search of her purse was not justified under the circumstances of the case.
• Supreme Court decision: The significance of this decision is that the Supreme Court opened the door for greater security measures because it gave school officials and the police the right to search students who are suspected of violating school rules.