Miller v. United States

For the 1939 Supreme Court case pertaining to the Second Amendment, see United States v. Miller. For the 1973 United States Supreme Court case, dealing with the subject of obscenity and referred to as ‘Miller v. United States’, see Miller v. California.

Miller v. United States
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued January 28, 1958 Decided June 23, 1958
Full case name	William Miller v. United States
Citations	357 U.S. 301 (more) 78 S.Ct. 1190; 2 L.Ed.2d 1332
Prior history	100 U.S. App. D.C. 302, 244 F.2d 750
Holding
Petitioner could not lawfully be arrested in his home by officers breaking in without first giving him notice of their authority and purpose, the arrest was unlawful, the evidence seized was inadmissible, and the conviction is reversed.
Court membership
Chief Justice Earl Warren Associate Justices Hugo Black · Felix Frankfurter William O. Douglas · Harold H. Burton Tom C. Clark · John M. Harlan II William J. Brennan, Jr. · Charles E. Whittaker
Case opinions
Majority	Brennan

Miller v. United States, 357 U.S. 301 (1958), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that one could not lawfully be arrested in one's home by officers breaking in without first giving one notice of their authority and purpose.

In the District of Columbia, officers without a warrant knocked on the door of William Miller's apartment and upon his inquiry, "Who's there?" replied in a low voice, "Police." Miller opened the door but quickly tried to close it, whereupon the officers broke the door, entered, arrested petitioner and seized marked bills which were later admitted as evidence over Miller's objection at a trial in which he was convicted of violations of the narcotics laws.

The Supreme Court ruled that the arrest was unlawful, the evidence seized was inadmissible, and the conviction is reversed.

See also

• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 357
• Ker v. California, 374 U.S. 23 (1963)

Further reading

• Blakey, G. Robert (1964). "The Rule of Announcement and Unlawful Entry: Miller v. United States and Ker v. California". University of Pennsylvania Law Review (The University of Pennsylvania Law Review) 112 (4): 499–562. doi:10.2307/3310634. JSTOR 3310634. 

External links

• Text of Miller v. United States, 357 U.S. 301 (1958) is available from: Justia · Findlaw