ALABAMA v. WHITE Case Brief
Complete case briefs with LSD+
Every LSD.Law brief pairs a full IRAC analysis with opinion summaries at three levels of depth, written by a team of Harvard Law and MIT graduates - a quick synopsis when you are pressed for time, the complete reasoning when you need to go deep.
Adaptive Case Views
Toggle between Flash, Standard, and Expanded. Get what you need, when you need it.
Exam-Ready IRAC Format
We deliver the precise structure professors look for in exam answers.
Complex Cases, Clarified
We break down dense legal reasoning into something digestible, helping you grasp core concepts.
Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: An anonymous tip predicted a woman’s future movements and alleged she possessed cocaine. After police corroborated innocent details of her itinerary, the Supreme Court held the tip, as verified, was reliable enough to create reasonable suspicion for an investigatory stop under the Fourth Amendment.
Legal Significance: This case clarifies the “totality of the circumstances” test for reasonable suspicion. It establishes that an anonymous tip, when corroborated by police observation of predicted future conduct, can exhibit sufficient indicia of reliability to justify an investigatory stop, even if the corroborated facts are non-criminal.
ALABAMA v. WHITE Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
An anonymous caller informed Montgomery police that Vanessa White would leave a specific apartment building at a particular time, get into a brown Plymouth station wagon with a broken right taillight, and drive to Dobey’s Motel. The caller alleged White would be in possession of cocaine inside a brown attaché case. Police proceeded to the location and observed a station wagon matching the description. They then saw White exit the building, enter the vehicle empty-handed, and drive the most direct route toward Dobey’s Motel. Before she reached the motel, officers initiated an investigatory stop. White consented to a search of her vehicle, which revealed a locked brown attaché case. At the officers’ request, White provided the combination to the lock. The officers discovered marijuana in the case and arrested her. A subsequent search at the police station revealed cocaine in her purse. The trial court denied White’s motion to suppress the evidence, but the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed, finding the officers lacked reasonable suspicion for the initial stop.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does an anonymous telephone tip that is significantly corroborated by independent police work—specifically by confirming the informant’s predictions of a suspect’s future behavior—exhibit sufficient indicia of reliability to provide the reasonable suspicion required for an investigatory stop under the Fourth Amendment?
Yes. The anonymous tip, as corroborated by police, provided sufficient indicia of Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip e
IRAC Legal Analysis
About IRAC analysis
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the structure professors expect in exam answers. Each LSD.Law brief states the issue, the governing rule with citations, the court's application of that rule, and the conclusion - the same reasoning pattern you will use on exams and in practice.
Legal Issue
Does an anonymous telephone tip that is significantly corroborated by independent police work—specifically by confirming the informant’s predictions of a suspect’s future behavior—exhibit sufficient indicia of reliability to provide the reasonable suspicion required for an investigatory stop under the Fourth Amendment?
Conclusion
Alabama v. White established that an anonymous tip's reliability for Fourth Amendment Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate ve
Legal Rule
Under the totality of the circumstances, an anonymous tip can furnish reasonable Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia des
Legal Analysis
The Court extended the "totality of the circumstances" analysis from *Illinois v. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laboru
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- An anonymous tip can provide reasonable suspicion for a Terry stop