Amended July 12, 2016 State of Iowa v. Marvis Latrell Jackson

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA
No. 14–0067
Filed April 29, 2016
Amended July 12, 2016
STATE OF IOWA,
Appellee,
vs.
MARVIS LATRELL JACKSON,
Appellant.
On review from the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Johnson County, Robert E.
Sosalla, Judge.
A defendant requests further review of a court of appeals decision
affirming the denial of a motion to suppress evidence obtained after a
police officer searched a closed backpack. DECISION OF COURT OF
APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT REVERSED AND
CASE REMANDED.
Mark C. Smith, State Appellate Defender, and Rachel C. Regenold
(until withdrawal) and Theresa R. Wilson, Assistant Appellate Defenders,
for appellant.
2
Thomas J. Miller, Attorney General, Sharon K. Hall, Assistant
Attorney General, Janet M. Lyness, County Attorney, Anne M. Lahey,
Assistant County Attorney, for appellee.
Alan R. Ostergren, Muscatine, for amicus curiae Iowa County
Attorneys Association.
3
WIGGINS, Justice.
A police officer conducted a warrantless search of a closed
backpack belonging to the defendant. The officer relied on a third party’s
consent in conducting the search. The third party possessed actual
authority to consent to a search of the bedroom the backpack was in but
lacked actual authority to consent to a search of the backpack itself. The
defendant moved to suppress the evidence found in the backpack and
the fruits of the search on the ground that the third party had neither
actual authority nor apparent authority to consent to the search of the
backpack. He argued the warrantless search violated his rights under
the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States
Constitution and article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. The district
court denied the motion.
The defendant now seeks further review of a decision by the court
of appeals affirming his convictions on two counts of robbery in the
second degree. We conclude the warrantless search violated the Fourth
Amendment of the United States Constitution because the third party
who consented to the search of the bedroom lacked apparent authority to
consent to the search of the defendant’s backpack. Therefore, we vacate
the decision of the court of appeals, reverse the judgment of the district
court, and remand the case to the district court for a new trial.
I. Background Facts.
On our de novo review, we find the following facts. At 12:35 a.m.
on December 31, 2012, the Iowa City Police Department dispatched
Officer Michael Smithey to Gumby’s Pizza after receiving a report an
armed robbery had just taken place. When Officer Smithey arrived on
the scene, the robbery victim met him outside the restaurant. The victim
reported he had been alone working in the kitchen when two black males
4
entered the restaurant wearing dark clothes, black hats, and black
bandanas over their faces. One of the men had a gun and pointed it at
the victim. The men ordered the victim to open the cash register. The
victim complied and gave the men approximately $125 in small bills.
After the men ran out of the store and headed northbound on Gilbert
Street, the victim locked the door and called the police.
As Officer Smithey stood outside the restaurant speaking with the
victim, a man approached and asked if there had been a robbery. The
man stated he had just been standing outside smoking a cigarette when
he observed two black males wearing dark clothes walk by. He noted one
of the men appeared to be holding a fistful of cash. He also stated when
the men saw him, they took off running between some houses.
Officer Smithey drove the witness to the location where he had last
seen the men on foot. There was fresh snow on the ground, and Officer
Smithey saw what appeared to be tracks in the snow. He then requested
backup from a canine unit.
When the canine unit arrived, the handling officer and the canine
tracked the suspects to the southeast corner of the building on South
Gilbert Street. Officer Smithey followed, joined by Officer Alex Stricker.
The officers observed the lower floor of the building was a retail location,
but the second story contained apartments with outside doors accessed
by a common stairwell in the rear of the building. As the officers visually
surveyed the exterior of the building, they saw the lights were on in one
of the apartments and a tall black male who appeared to be very
interested in what the officers were doing was looking out the window.
The officers noticed the man appeared to match the descriptions of the
suspects and quickly ducked out of sight when he saw the officers look
up at him. The officers decided to approach the apartment. When they
5
arrived at the front door to the apartment, they noticed someone had
turned the lights off inside. As they stood outside the apartment door,
they heard it lock from the inside. Officer Smithey then knocked on the
door and announced the officers’ presence.
A tall black male named Wesley Turner answered the door. The
officers explained why they were there, and Turner allowed them inside.
The officers entered the living room where they encountered Turner’s
girlfriend, Alyssa Miller, who also lived in the apartment. Turner and
Miller indicated the only other person in the apartment was their
roommate, Gunner Olson. Turner told the officers Olson was asleep in
his room but agreed to wake him so the officers could speak with him.
After Turner knocked on the bedroom door, Olson, who was also a black
male, emerged from his room.
The officers decided to speak to the two men separately. Officer
Stricker stepped outside to speak with Turner. During their brief
conversation, Turner indicated he had remained in the apartment since
arriving home from work around nine and had not seen anything
suspicious.
Meanwhile, Officer Smithey stepped into the kitchen to speak with
Olson. Olson confirmed he lived in the apartment along with Turner and
Miller. Officer Smithey asked Olson if he could peek inside his bedroom.
Only then did Olson tell Officer Smithey his cousin Marvis was sleeping
in his bed. Olson told Officer Smithey that Marvis arrived sometime after
he went to sleep earlier that evening. When asked, Olson indicated he
did not know Marvis’s last name and explained they were not really
cousins. Officer Smithey did not ask Olson if Marvis had been staying in
the apartment.
6
Olson then led Officer Smithey back to his bedroom. Officer
Stricker looked on from the hallway, having just finished his
conversation with Turner. Inside the room, the officers saw a shirtless
black male in green pajama pants lying on the air mattress in the corner.
The air mattress was the only mattress in the room. At the officers’
request, Olson roused the man by shaking him, but the officers noticed
that waking the man appeared to be considerably more difficult than it
should have been. The officers also noticed the shirtless man was
sweaty, which they thought odd because no one else in the apartment
was sweating.
The man identified himself as Marvis Jackson. When asked if he
had identification, Jackson indicated he did not. The officers had a brief
conversation with Jackson, during which neither officer asked Jackson if
he had been staying in the apartment, was an overnight guest, or had
any personal belongings in the apartment. When the officers ran a check
on Jackson’s name, they discovered an outstanding warrant for his
arrest for another armed robbery that took place at a gas station in
November. 1 Officer Smithey notified Jackson he was under arrest,
handcuffed him, and walked him out of the room. By that time, other
officers had arrived at the apartment. Officer Smithey passed Jackson
off to another officer for transport before returning to the bedroom.
While Officer Smithey was outside the bedroom passing Jackson
off for transport, Officer Stricker spoke to Olson. Olson again indicated
Jackson had arrived earlier that night after he had gone to sleep. Officer
1The court issued the arrest warrant after the owner received a tip that a man
named “Juicy” had robbed the gas station and the detective in charge of the
investigation learned from multiple sources Jackson went by the nickname “Juicy
Jackson.”
7
Stricker did not ask Olson if Jackson had been staying in the apartment,
but Olson clearly indicated Jackson did not permanently reside in his
bedroom. When asked if there were any guns in the room, he replied
oddly that there should not be or that he did not know of any.
Officer Stricker then asked to search the bedroom for guns or any
evidence of the robbery, and Olson consented to the search. Officer
Stricker waited for Officer Smithey to return to the room. When Officer
Smithey arrived, Officer Stricker informed him that Olson had consented
to the search, and Olson confirmed he did not mind if Officer Smithey
conducted the search. Neither officer asked Olson whether any of the
items in the room might belong to Jackson. Officer Stricker then stepped
outside the room with Olson to accompany him to the kitchen to get a
glass of water.
Officer Smithey began searching Olson’s room. He first searched
the area around the air mattress. He searched under the sheets and
blankets on top of the air mattress and then under the mattress itself.
He then grabbed a backpack sitting a few feet away on the floor along the
wall next to or partly inside the closet door, which was partially off its
hinges. He placed the backpack on the chair sitting between the closet
and the air mattress. The backpack was closed and had no obvious
identifying marks or tags on its exterior indicating who owned it. Officer
Smithey opened the backpack. He reached inside and located a wallet,
which he removed and laid on the chair without opening it. When Officer
Smithey reached inside a second time, he located a pair of dark jeans.
He noticed the jeans were wet at the hem along the bottom of each leg,
which led him to believe they had recently been worn outside in the
snow. He then removed the jeans from the backpack. Underneath the
jeans, Officer Smithey saw a black handgun.
8
After removing the jeans and locating the handgun, Officer
Smithey stopped removing items from the backpack. He opened the
wallet he had placed on the chair a few moments before and saw that it
contained identification belonging to Marvis Jackson. Officer Smithey
took a photograph of the handgun inside the backpack to use in an
application for a search warrant. He then emerged from the bedroom
and informed the sergeant who was the supervising officer on the scene
it was time to lock down the apartment. The officers conducted a
protective sweep of the apartment and transported Olson, Turner, and
Miller to the station for questioning.
Back at the station, Officer Smithey completed a statement in
support of an application for a search warrant. Detectives spoke with
Miller, Turner, Olson, and Jackson in a series of interviews conducted
between approximately 2:49 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Turner admitted to
committing the armed robbery of the restaurant, and Olson admitted to
cutting up a t-shirt to provide Turner and Jackson with the strips of
fabric they used to cover their faces during the robbery. After being
informed the police had obtained confessions from Turner and Olson and
retrieved a gun and cash from the apartment, Jackson also confessed to
committing the restaurant robbery.
In the morning, the detective investigating the gas station robbery
conducted a second round of interviews beginning after 7:00 a.m.
During those interviews, the detective showed Turner and Miller
photographs of the gas station robber captured by a security camera.
Both Turner and Miller indicated the gas station robber looked like
Jackson and recognized the shoes the robber was wearing. Turner also
indicated Jackson had told him he had robbed a gas station, and Miller
recognized the cap the robber was wearing and told the detective where it
9
could be found in the apartment. When the detective subsequently
interviewed Jackson, he confessed to committing the gas station robbery.
During the interviews conducted throughout the night and in the
morning, Miller, Turner, and Jackson all confirmed Jackson had been
staying at the apartment for weeks prior to December 31 and
acknowledged he had personal belongings in the apartment. When the
police executed the search warrant on the apartment in the morning,
they recovered $129 in one-dollar bills, $45 in five-dollar bills, and pieces
of the t-shirt described by the men during their interviews the night
before. The police also recovered a black Yankees cap matching the one
worn by the gas station robber.
II. Prior Proceedings.
The State charged Jackson with two counts of robbery in the
second degree, including one count for the restaurant robbery and one
count for the gas station robbery. See Iowa Code section 711.3 (2011).
Jackson pled not guilty on both counts and filed a motion to suppress all
evidence obtained as a result of the search of his backpack. In his
motion to suppress, Jackson argued the warrantless search of his
backpack was unreasonable and violated his rights under the Fourth
and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution and
article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution because Olson had neither
actual authority nor apparent authority to consent to the search of his
backpack. Jackson further asserted the officers had a duty to inquire as
to the ownership of the backpack before searching it because they had
encountered an ambiguous situation that gave them reason to doubt
whether Olson had authority to consent to a search of the backpack.
The State resisted the motion.
10
Following a hearing, the district court denied the motion to
suppress. Jackson thereafter waived his right to a jury trial and
stipulated to a trial on the minutes of testimony. The district court
found Jackson guilty of both counts of second-degree robbery and
sentenced him to two concurrent indeterminate terms of incarceration
not to exceed ten years with a mandatory minimum sentence of seven
years of incarceration.
Jackson appealed, and we transferred the case to the court of
appeals. The court of appeals concluded Olson had apparent authority,
but not actual authority, to consent to the search of the backpack. The
court of appeals allowed Jackson to pursue his ineffective-assistance-of-
counsel claim in a postconviction relief proceeding because it determined
his trial counsel had not preserved his argument that the Iowa
Constitution requires consent from a person with actual authority to
authorize a warrantless search.
Jackson filed an application for further review, which we granted.
III. Issues.
Jackson claims Officer Smithey violated his rights under the
Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution because Olson had
neither actual authority nor apparent authority to consent to the search
of his backpack. Alternatively, Jackson claims Officer Smithey violated
his rights under article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution because
Olson did not have actual authority to consent to the search of his
backpack. Finally, Jackson claims that if the search did not violate the
federal constitution, his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for
failing to argue a different standard determines the constitutionality of
warrantless searches authorized by consent under the state constitution.
11
IV. Standard of Review.
Jackson raises constitutional issues in this appeal. We review
constitutional issues de novo. State v. Kooima, 833 N.W.2d 202, 205
(Iowa 2013).
V. The Federal Doctrine of Consent by Apparent Authority.
The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides,
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue,
but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
U.S. Const. amend. IV.
A warrantless search violates the Fourth Amendment unless a
warrant was not required to authorize it. See State v. Nitcher, 720
N.W.2d 547, 554 (Iowa 2006). The State bears the burden of proving by
a preponderance of the evidence that a warrant was not needed to
authorize a warrantless search. See id. In determining whether the
State has met this burden, we use an objective standard to assess the
conduct of the officer who performed the search. Id.
Under the Fourth Amendment, a warrant is not required to
authorize a search performed pursuant to voluntary consent. State v.
Pals, 805 N.W.2d 767, 777–82 (Iowa 2011). 2 An officer may rely on
third-party consent to authorize a warrantless search so long as the
circumstances indicate the third party had actual authority to consent to
a search of the location searched. See, e.g., State v. Campbell, 326
2We have not determined whether voluntary consent authorizes a warrantless
search under article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution, or whether article I, section 8
requires a knowing and intelligent waiver of rights to authorize a warrantless search.
See Pals, 805 N.W.2d at 782.
12
N.W.2d 350, 352 (Iowa 1982); State v. Folkens, 281 N.W.2d 1, 3–4 (Iowa
1979). To establish a third party had actual authority to consent to a
search, the government may show the third party “possessed common
authority over or other sufficient relationship to the premises or effects
sought to be inspected.” Campbell, 326 N.W.2d at 352 (quoting United
States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 94 S. Ct. 988, 993, 39 L. Ed. 2d
242, 250 (1974)). Common authority to consent to a search derives from
“mutual use of the property by persons generally having joint access or
control for most purposes.” Matlock, 415 U.S. at 171 n.7, 94 S. Ct. at
993 n.7, 39 L. Ed. 2d at 250 n.7; see State v. Bakker, 262 N.W.2d 538,
546 (Iowa 1978).
Under the Fourth Amendment, an officer may also rely on third-
party consent to authorize a warrantless search based on the third
party’s apparent authority to consent to the search. State v. Lowe, 812
N.W.2d 554, 576 (Iowa 2012). The doctrine of consent by apparent
authority allows the government to demonstrate an officer who
conducted a warrantless search was authorized to do so because the
officer “reasonably (though erroneously)” relied on the apparent authority
of the person who consented to the search. Id. (quoting Illinois v.
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 186, 110 S. Ct. 2793, 2800, 111 L. Ed. 2d 148,
160 (1990)).
The State relies on the doctrine of consent by apparent authority to
justify the officer’s warrantless search of the backpack found in the
bedroom. The doctrine has its genesis in the United States Supreme
Court’s decision in Illinois v. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 110 S. Ct. 2793,
111 L. Ed. 2d 148. In that case, an assault victim accompanied police
officers to the defendant’s apartment, unlocked the door with a key she
had, and let the officers into the apartment. Id. at 179–80, 110 S. Ct. at
13
2796–97, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 155–56. The officers did not have an arrest
warrant for the defendant or a search warrant to search the apartment.
Id. at 180, 110 S. Ct. at 2797, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 155–56. As the officers
moved through the premises, they observed drug paraphernalia and
containers filled with white powder later determined to be cocaine in
plain view in the living room. Id. at 180, 110 S. Ct. at 2797, 111 L. Ed.
2d at 156. They found additional containers filled with cocaine in two
open attaché cases in the bedroom. Id. After the officers arrested the
defendant on drug charges, he moved to suppress the evidence seized at
the time of his arrest on the ground that the victim no longer lived in the
apartment and therefore had no authority to consent to the entry and the
search. Id.
The Supreme Court determined the State failed to prove the victim
had common authority over the premises to consent to the search. Id. at
181–82, 110 S. Ct. at 2797–98, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 156–57. This was not,
however, the end of the Court’s inquiry. The Court stated the question of
whether the officers violated the Fourth Amendment turned on an
objective factual determination as to whether the officers reasonably
believed the woman had authority to consent to the entry. See id. at
188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. The Court thus concluded
a warrantless search conducted pursuant to consent by a third party
does not violate the Fourth Amendment so long as the facts available to
the officers at the moment it occurred would “ ‘warrant a man of
reasonable caution in the belief’ that the consenting party had authority
over the premises.” Id. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at
161 (quoting Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 21–22, 88 S. Ct. 1868, 1880, 20
L. Ed. 2d 889, 906 (1968)). “If not,” the Court explained, “then
14
warrantless entry without further inquiry is unlawful unless authority
actually exists.” Id.
In concluding searches conducted pursuant to consent by
apparent authority satisfy the Fourth Amendment, the Court reasoned
the Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to make reasonable,
not perfect, factual determinations concerning the scope of authority
possessed by a person who consents to a search:
It is apparent that in order to satisfy the “reasonableness”
requirement of the Fourth Amendment, what is generally
demanded of the many factual determinations that must
regularly be made by agents of the government . . . is not
that they always be correct, but that they always be
reasonable. . . .
We see no reason to depart from this general rule with
respect to facts bearing upon the authority to consent to a
search. Whether the basis for such authority exists is the
sort of recurring factual question to which law enforcement
officials must be expected to apply their judgment; and all
the Fourth Amendment requires is that they answer it
reasonably. The Constitution is no more violated when
officers enter without a warrant because they reasonably
(though erroneously) believe that the person who has
consented to their entry is a resident of the premises, than it
is violated when they enter without a warrant because they
reasonably (though erroneously) believe they are in pursuit
of a violent felon who is about to escape.
Id. at 185–86, 110 S. Ct. at 2800, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 159–60.
However, the Court cautioned that apparent authority does not
necessarily exist merely because a person explicitly asserts a factual
basis suggesting he or she has authority to consent. Id. at 188, 110
S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. Rather, a person could make such
an assertion and “the surrounding circumstances could conceivably be
such that a reasonable person would doubt its truth and not act upon it
without further inquiry,” in which case “warrantless entry without
further inquiry” would be unlawful unless the consenting party had
15
actual authority. Id. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161.
Thus, the Court emphasized courts must use an objective standard to
determine whether apparent authority exists. Id. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at
2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. In addition, the Court acknowledged the
government bears the burden of establishing the effectiveness of third-
party consent. Id. at 181, 110 S. Ct. at 2797, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 156. The
Court remanded the case for a determination as to whether the officers
reasonably relied on apparent authority to authorize their entry into the
apartment because the appellate court had not determined whether
officers had reasonably believed the victim had authority to consent. Id.
at 189, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161.
Rodriguez involved a circumstance in which officers discovered
evidence in plain view after they entered a home without a warrant based
on consent given by a person who lacked actual authority to consent to a
search of the home. In contrast, this case requires us to consider how
the doctrine of consent by apparent authority applies to a closed
container found inside a home searched by officers relying on consent
given by a person who had actual authority to consent to the search of
the home but lacked actual authority to consent to a search of the
container. The Supreme Court has yet to apply the doctrine of consent
by apparent authority to a closed container found within a home under
these circumstances. Nor is there agreement among the federal circuit
courts of appeals concerning how the apparent-authority doctrine applies
under such circumstances. See, e.g., United States v. Taylor, 600 F.3d
678, 685 (6th Cir. 2010); United States v. Snype, 441 F.3d 119, 136–37
(2d Cir. 2006); United States v. Waller, 426 F.3d 838, 847–49 (6th Cir.
2005); United States v. Melgar, 227 F.3d 1038, 1041–42 (7th Cir. 2000);
United States v. Salinas-Cano, 959 F.2d 861, 865–66 (10th Cir. 1992).
16
A. Circuits Concluding Officers Have a Duty to Inquire Before
Searching a Closed Container if a Reasonable Officer Would
Conclude the Authority of the Person Who Consented to a Premises
Search is Ambiguous. The Tenth Circuit applied the apparent-authority
doctrine in the context of a closed-container search in United States v.
Salinas-Cano. After officers arrested the defendant following a drug buy,
they asked his girlfriend for permission to search her apartment and
indicated they were specifically interested in the defendant’s possessions.
Salinas-Cano, 959 F.2d at 862. She consented and led the officers to the
area of the apartment where the defendant kept his belongings. Id. The
officers opened a closed suitcase belonging to the defendant and found
cocaine inside. Id. The district court denied the defendant’s motion to
suppress the evidence, and the defendant appealed. Id. at 863.
The Tenth Circuit reversed, emphasizing the government bears the
burden of proving the effectiveness of third-party consent. Id. at 862,
864. The court concluded the government cannot meet this burden
when officers faced with an ambiguous situation concerning the
authority of the consenting party proceed to search without making
further inquiry. Id. at 864. The court determined a warrantless search
is unlawful without further inquiry “if the circumstances make it unclear
whether the property about to be searched is subject to ‘mutual use’ by
the person giving consent.” See id. (quoting United States v. Whitfield,
939 F.2d 1071, 1075 (D.C. Cir. 1991)). The court reasoned that under
Rodriguez, apparent authority exists only in “situations in which an
officer would have had valid consent to search if the facts were as he
reasonably believed them to be.” Id. at 865 (quoting Whitfield, 939 F.2d
at 1074). The court therefore concluded the officer’s subjective belief
that the girlfriend had authority to consent to a search of the suitcase
17
was insufficient to legitimize the search under the apparent-authority
doctrine. Id. at 866.
It is not enough for the officer to testify, as he did here, that
he thought the consenting party had joint access and control.
The “apparent authority” doctrine does not empower the
police to legitimize a search merely by the incantation of the
phrase.
Id. at 865 (citation omitted).
Based on Rodriguez, the Tenth Circuit concluded proper analysis
of apparent authority “rests entirely on the reasonableness of the officer’s
belief” that the consenting party had common authority over the
container searched. See id. The officers had not asked any question that
would have permitted them to determine whether the defendant’s
girlfriend had mutual use of his suitcase and authority to consent to a
search of it. Id. at 866. Therefore, because the information known to the
officers was insufficient to support a reasonable belief that the girlfriend
had actual authority to consent to a search of the defendant’s suitcase,
the court concluded she did not have apparent authority to consent to
the search. See id. According to the court, “To hold that an officer may
reasonably find authority to consent solely on the basis of the presence
of a suitcase in the home of another would render meaningless the
Fourth Amendment’s protection of such suitcases.” Id.
The Tenth Circuit subsequently confirmed officers have a “duty to
investigate” when it is ambiguous whether the person who consents to a
premises search has authority over the location to be searched before
conducting a warrantless search of a closed container:
Importantly, “where an officer is presented with ambiguous
facts related to authority, he or she has a duty to investigate
further before relying on the consent.” Thus, the
government cannot meet its burden of demonstrating a third
party’s apparent authority “if agents, faced with an
18
ambiguous situation, nevertheless proceed without making
further inquiry.”
United States v. Cos, 498 F.3d 1115, 1128 (10th Cir. 2007) (citations
omitted) (quoting United States v. Kimoana, 383 F.3d 1215, 1222 (10th
Cir. 2004)).
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed whether a third party
had apparent authority to consent to a search of a closed container in a
similar manner in United States v. Waller. In Waller, officers arrested the
defendant in the parking lot of an apartment complex where his friend
was a tenant. 426 F.3d at 842. After the officers secured the defendant
and proceeded to the apartment, the tenant told them the defendant had
been storing some property there. Id. The tenant consented to a search
of the apartment. Id. During the search, the officers opened a closed
luggage bag they found in a bedroom closet and discovered a firearm. Id.
The officers asked the tenant and his girlfriend whether the luggage bag
or the firearm belonged to either of them. Id. Both individuals denied
ownership of both the bag and the firearm. Id. The defendant appealed
his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Id. at 843. He
argued the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress the
firearm evidence by ruling the officers had actual or apparent authority
to search the luggage bag. Id.
After determining the tenant lacked common authority over the
luggage bag, the Sixth Circuit considered whether the tenant had
apparent authority to consent to the search of the bag. Id. at 844–46.
The court summarized the doctrine of consent by apparent authority
established in Rodriguez as follows:
“When one person consents to a search of property owned by
another, the consent is valid if ‘the facts available to the
officer at the moment . . . warrant a man of reasonable
caution in the belief that the consenting party had authority
19
over the premises.’ ” Whether the facts presented at the time
of the search would “warrant a man of reasonable caution”
to believe the third party has common authority over the
property depends upon all of the surrounding
circumstances. The government cannot establish that its
agents reasonably relied upon a third party’s apparent
authority “if agents, faced with an ambiguous situation,
nevertheless proceed without making further inquiry. If the
agents do not learn enough, if the circumstances make it
unclear whether the property about to be searched is subject
to ‘mutual use’ by the person giving consent, ‘then
warrantless entry is unlawful without further inquiry.’ ”
Where the circumstances presented would cause a person of
reasonable caution to question whether the third party has
mutual use of the property, “warrantless entry without
further inquiry is unlawful[.]”
Id. at 846 (alteration in original) (citations omitted) (first quoting United
States v. Jenkins, 92 F.3d 430, 436 (6th Cir. 1996); then quoting
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161;
then quoting United States v. McCoy, Nos. 97–6485, 97–6486, 97–6488,
1999 WL 357749, at *10 (6th Cir. May 12, 1999); and then quoting
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161).
The court thus concluded the search of the bag was unlawful because
under the circumstances it was unclear to the officers whether the
tenant had common authority over it. Id. at 847, 849. Based on the
facts known to the officers, the court concluded a reasonable officer
would have found ambiguity existed with respect to the ownership of the
bag and thus with respect to the question of common authority. Id. at
849.
In arriving at this conclusion, the Sixth Circuit reasoned that in
the context of a closed container, the existence of common authority to
consent derives from “mutual use of the property by persons generally
having joint access or control for most purposes.” Id. at 845, 848–49
(quoting Matlock, 415 U.S. at 171 n.7, 94 S. Ct. at 993 n.7, 39 L. Ed. 2d
20
at 250 n.7). Thus, the court emphasized that although officers might
have believed the tenant had some level of control over the bag, in light of
what the government would have had to prove to establish the tenant
had common authority to consent to a search of it, a reasonable officer
would have been “on notice of his obligation to make further inquiry prior
to conducting a search.” Id. at 848–49. In concluding the circumstances
were sufficiently ambiguous to place a reasonable officer on notice that
the tenant might not have had authority to consent to the search, the
court found both the context of the search and its purpose to be relevant:
The facts in this case are clear: the police never expressed an
interest in [the tenant’s] belongings in [the tenant’s]
apartment. The very purpose of the police presence was to
search for (presumably) illegal possessions of [the
defendant’s]. Why would the police open the suitcase if they
reasonably believed it belonged to [the tenant]? The answer
is that they would not have opened the bag. They opened
the bag precisely because they believed it likely belonged to
[the defendant]. The police knew [the defendant] was storing
belongings at the [tenant’s] apartment. Most people do not
keep a packed, closed suitcase in their own apartment.
Deliberate ignorance of conclusive ownership of the suitcase
does not excuse the warrantless search of the suitcase,
especially when actual ownership could easily have been
confirmed.
Id. at 849 (emphasis omitted).
The Sixth Circuit concluded the district court erred in denying the
defendant’s motion to suppress and reversed his conviction. See id. It
did so because the officers failed to make inquiry before searching the
bag despite being on notice the tenant might not have had authority to
consent to a search of it. Id. at 848–49. The court thus concluded an
officer has a duty to inquire before relying on consent in circumstances
in which the authority of the consenting person is ambiguous. Id. at
846–47. The court stressed its conclusion was consistent with the
21
Supreme Court’s decision in Rodriguez and decisions by other courts to
consider such circumstances. Id. (citing cases).
The Sixth Circuit revisited this issue in United States v. Taylor.
There, officers arrested the male defendant in the apartment of his
childless female friend. Taylor, 600 F.3d at 679, 682. The officers then
asked the defendant’s friend for permission to search her apartment,
which she granted. Id. at 679. When the officers conducted the search,
they found a closed shoebox for a pair of men’s basketball shoes partially
covered by men’s clothes in the closet of a spare bedroom containing
men’s clothes, children’s clothes, and children’s toys. Id. Though the
defendant’s friend lived alone in the apartment, the officers made no
inquiry to determine whether she had authority to consent to a search of
the closed shoebox before opening it. Id. Inside the shoebox, they found
a handgun and ammunition belonging to the defendant. Id. at 680. The
government charged the defendant with being a felon in possession of a
firearm and ammunition. Id. The district court granted the defendant’s
motion to suppress the evidence, finding the defendant’s friend had
neither common authority nor apparent authority to consent to the
search of the shoebox. Id.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court decision granting the
defendant’s motion to suppress. Id. at 679. In doing so, the court
acknowledged the officers might have begun the search with a
reasonable belief that everything in the apartment was subject to mutual
use by its sole tenant. Id. at 681. But the court concluded “a reasonable
person would have had substantial doubts about whether the box was
subject to mutual use” by the tenant based on both the location where it
was found and the label indicating it was for a pair of men’s shoes. Id. at
682. The court stated its conclusion was reinforced by the fact the
22
district court found the officers likely would not have opened the shoebox
if they had believed it belonged to the tenant, rather than the defendant.
Id.
B. Circuits Concluding the Defendant Bears the Burden of
Demonstrating Officers Had Reason to Question the Authority of the
Person Who Consented to a Premises Search. The Seventh Circuit
considered apparent authority in the context of a closed-container search
in United States v. Melgar. In Melgar, officers investigating the passing of
counterfeit checks obtained consent to search a motel room from the
woman who had rented it. 227 F.3d at 1039–41. While conducting a
search of the room, the officers found a purse with no identifying marks
under the mattress of one of the beds. Id. at 1040. Though the officers
knew several other women were staying in the room, they opened the
purse without asking any questions to determine whether it belonged to
the woman who rented the room. See id. at 1039–40. Inside, they
discovered counterfeit checks and a fake identification bearing a
photograph of the defendant, who was also staying in the room but had
not consented to the search. Id. at 1040. The defendant challenged the
district court’s denial of her motion to suppress the evidence found
inside the purse. Id.
The Seventh Circuit concluded that because the police had no
reason to know the woman who consented to the search of the room
could not consent to a search of the purse, the district court correctly
denied the defendant’s motion to suppress. Id. at 1041. The court
rejected the defendant’s argument the officers should have inquired as to
the owner of the purse because they had matched the other purses in the
room to the other women staying there. Id. at 1040–41.
 23
The Seventh Circuit acknowledged the lack of binding authority
concerning the proper application of the apparent-authority doctrine to
closed-container searches. See id. at 1041. However, the court framed
the question presented as follows:
In a sense, the real question for closed container searches is
which way the risk of uncertainty should run. Is such a
search permissible only if the police have positive knowledge
that the closed container is also under the authority of the
person who originally consented to the search . . . , or is it
permissible if the police do not have reliable information that
the container is not under the authorizer’s control.
Id.
In concluding the district court correctly denied the defendant’s
motion to suppress, the Seventh Circuit invoked the general rule that
consent to search a space generally extends to a container within it so
long as “a reasonable officer would construe the consent to extend to the
container” and precedents governing the searches of containers found in
automobiles. Id. at 1041–42. The court thus concluded apparent
authority exists so long as the officer who conducts a warrantless search
pursuant to third-party consent has no reliable information indicating
the consenting party has no control over the container being searched.
See id. In other words, the court concluded an officer may reasonably
construe a third party’s consent to search a premises to extend to all
closed containers within that premises unless the officer has “reliable
information” indicating a particular container is not within the third
party’s control. 3 See id. at 1041.
3Incases decided both before and after Melgar, the Seventh Circuit expressly
acknowledged officers have “a duty to inquire further as to a third party’s authority to
consent to a search” before searching a closed container when “the surrounding
circumstances make that person’s authority questionable.” United States v. Goins, 437
F.3d 644, 648 (7th Cir. 2006); Montville v. Lewis, 87 F.3d 900, 903 (7th Cir. 1996).
Although the court has acknowledged “officers have a duty to inquire further as to a
24
The Second Circuit came to a similar conclusion in United States v.
Snype. In that case, officers discovered the defendant on the floor in the
bedroom of an apartment belonging to his friend’s girlfriend. Snype, 441
F.3d at 126–27. After the officers arrested the defendant and removed
him from the apartment, they obtained the girlfriend’s consent to search
it. Id. at 127. During the search, the officers opened a closed knapsack
and a closed red plastic bag they found on the floor in the room from
which they had just removed the defendant. Id. The knapsack and the
bag were sitting next to an open teller’s box filled with cash taken from
the bank the defendant was accused of robbing. Id. The defendant
appealed his conviction for conspiracy to commit bank robbery, arguing
the district court improperly admitted the evidence found in the
knapsack and the bag. Id. at 125, 136.
The Second Circuit concluded the district court properly
determined the voluntary consent of the host had authorized the
warrantless search of the entire apartment and all items within it,
including the knapsack and the bag belonging to the defendant. Id. at
137. The court dismissed as conclusory the defendant’s argument that
the officers “had no objectively reasonable basis for concluding” the
tenant had any interest in the closed containers found beside him. See
id. at 136–37. Although the court acknowledged the host’s open-ended
________________________
third party’s authority” in some circumstances, it emphasizes “that is only true when
the circumstances make the authority questionable in the first place.” United States v.
Pineda-Buenaventura, 622 F.3d 761, 777 (7th Cir. 2010). To the extent these decisions
seem inconsistent, that inconsistency may stem from the fact that the Melgar court
concluded ambiguity concerning the authority of a third party exists only when an
officer has “reliable information” a container is not within the control of the person who
consents to a search. See Melgar, 227 F.3d at 1041. It is hard to see how ambiguity
concerning who has authority over a container could exist only when an officer has
“reliable information” concerning the answer to that very question.
25
consent could not authorize a search or seizure of items found within the
apartment that “obviously belonged exclusively” to another person, it
found the district court did not err in admitting the evidence found inside
the knapsack and the red plastic bag. Id. at 137. Rather, the court
concluded the search did not violate the Fourth Amendment because the
defendant failed to adduce credible evidence demonstrating the knapsack
and the bag “so obviously belonged exclusively to him that the officers
could not reasonably rely” on the host’s unrestricted consent to search
the premises. See id. at 136–37.
C. Determination of the Applicable Test. Under Rodriguez, a
warrantless search of a closed container conducted pursuant to consent
by a third party does not violate the Fourth Amendment so long as the
person who consented had actual or apparent authority to consent to the
search. See Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111
L. Ed. 2d at 161 (quoting Terry, 392 U.S. at 21–22, 88 S. Ct. at 1880, 20
L. Ed. 2d at 906). The dispute among the federal circuit courts of appeal
concerns the question of who bears the burden of proving third-party
consent did or did not authorize a container search when the third party
had actual authority to consent to a search of a premises but lacked
actual authority to consent to a search of a container on that premises.
The Sixth and Tenth Circuits have concluded the government bears the
burden of demonstrating the officer inquired before searching a closed
container if the circumstances would have alerted a reasonable officer
that the person who consented to a search of the premises might not
have had authority to consent to a search of a closed container. See
Taylor, 600 F.3d at 681; Salinas-Cano, 959 F.2d at 864. The Second and
Seventh Circuits have concluded the defendant bears the burden of
adducing evidence to show the officer could not have reasonably relied
26
on third-party consent so long as the third party had authority to
consent to a search of the premises. See Snype, 441 F.3d at 136–37;
Melgar, 227 F.3d at 1041. For the following reasons, we find the
reasoning of the Sixth and Tenth Circuits to be more persuasive than the
reasoning of the Second and Seventh Circuits.
First, we recognize a privacy interest in a closed container is not
necessarily coextensive with a privacy interest in the surrounding
location in which the container is located:
A privacy interest in a home itself need not be
coextensive with a privacy interest in the contents or
movements of everything situated inside the home. This has
been recognized before in connection with third-party
consent to searches. A homeowner’s consent to a search of
the home may not be effective consent to a search of a closed
object inside the home. Consent to search a container or a
place is effective only when given by one with “common
authority over or other sufficient relationship to the premises
or effects sought to be inspected.”
United States v. Karo, 468 U.S. 705, 725, 104 S. Ct. 3296, 3308, 82
L. Ed. 2d 530, 548 (1984) (O’Connor, J., concurring) (quoting Matlock,
415 U.S. at 171, 94 S. Ct. at 993, 39 L. Ed. 2d at 250). As the Indiana
Supreme Court has pointed out, the Melgar court did not acknowledge
third-party consent to search a premises may implicate privacy interests
in a closed container that are distinct from those the third party had in
the premises. See Krise v. State, 746 N.E.2d 957, 967–68 (Ind. 2001).
We reject the notion that a guest assumes the risk the government might
unreasonably intrude upon a privacy interest in a closed container
merely by bringing the container into the home of another person. See
id. As the United States Supreme Court has noted, “what is at issue
when a claim of apparent consent is raised is not whether the right to be
free of searches has been waived, but whether the right to be free of
27
unreasonable searches has been violated.” Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 187,
110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161.
Second, both the Supreme Court and this court have recognized
the home is entitled to special status in the Fourth Amendment context.
See Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27, 31, 121 S. Ct. 2038, 2041, 150
L. Ed. 2d 94, 100 (2001); State v. Ochoa, 792 N.W.2d 260, 276–77, 287
(Iowa 2010). It does not square with the Fourth Amendment’s
recognition of the sanctity of the home to suggest bringing an object into
a home might diminish, rather than enhance, a person’s privacy interest
in that object. See Karo, 468 U.S. at 717, 104 S. Ct. at 3304, 82
L. Ed. 2d at 542 (holding warrantless electronic monitoring of a beeper
inside a drum brought inside a home violated the Fourth Amendment).
Third, when a defendant moves to suppress evidence obtained
when an officer conducted a warrantless search, the State bears the
burden of proving the search did not violate the Fourth Amendment.
Nitcher, 720 N.W.2d at 554. The Supreme Court has indicated this
burden remains with the government in the context of third-party
consent. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 181, 110 S. Ct. at 2797, 111 L. Ed. 2d
at 156. Rodriguez made clear the government may meet its burden of
proving the effectiveness of third-party consent by two possible means.
Id. at 181, 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2798, 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 156, 161.
First, the government may demonstrate the person consenting to the
search had actual authority to consent to a search of the location
searched. Id. at 181, 110 S. Ct. at 2798, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 156. Second,
the government may demonstrate the facts available to the officer when
the officer conducted the search would have warranted a person of
reasonable caution in the belief that the person consenting had authority
to consent to a search of the location searched. Id. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct.
28
at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. It would improperly reverse the burden of
proof to require a defendant to disprove the effectiveness of the consent
relied upon by officers who searched a closed container belonging to the
defendant.
Finally, to flip the presumption of unreasonableness that generally
applies to warrantless searches merely because a third party explicitly
granted consent to a premises search would be inconsistent with
Rodriguez. As the Supreme Court recognized in Rodriguez, even when a
person makes an assertion he or she has authority to authorize a search,
“the surrounding circumstances could conceivably be such that a
reasonable person would doubt its truth and not act upon it without
further inquiry.” Id. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161.
The lesson of Rodriguez is that a warrantless search is not
authorized when the circumstances would cause a reasonable officer to
doubt whether the party consenting had authority to consent with
respect to the location to be searched. The mere fact that an officer
subjectively relied on third-party consent does not render that reliance
reasonable. See id. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161.
Reliance on apparent authority to authorize a search is only reasonable
when the authority of the person consenting is actually apparent with
respect to the location to be searched. Thus, when the totality of the
circumstances indicates a reasonable officer would have conducted
further inquiry to determine whether the person who consented to a
premises search had authority to consent to a search of a closed
container, the government must demonstrate the officer did just that in
order to establish the search of the container was reasonable.
The government bears the burden of proving a warrantless search
was reasonable. Therefore, in determining whether a warrantless search
29
of a container was reasonable based on the apparent authority of the
consenting party, the relevant question is not whether the defendant has
adduced enough evidence to prove an officer’s reliance on third-party
consent was unreasonable. 4 Rather, the question is whether the
government has proved by a preponderance of the evidence that
circumstances existing when the container was searched would have
warranted a person of reasonable caution in the belief that the person
who consented to a search of the premises also had authority over the
container. Waller, 426 F.3d at 846 (quoting Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188,
110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161).
The government cannot demonstrate an officer reasonably relied
on apparent authority to authorize a search if the officer proceeded
without making further inquiry when faced with an ambiguity concerning
the question of whether the container to be searched was subject to
ownership or mutual use by the consenting party. See id. at 846–47.
When an officer faced with such ambiguity searches a closed container
without a warrant and without inquiring enough to clarify whether the
person who consented to a premises search had authority to consent to a
search of the container, the search is unlawful. See Rodriguez, 497 U.S.
at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161; Waller, 426 F.3d at
846.
D. Analysis. As the district court noted, the State presented no
evidence to indicate Olson had actual authority to consent to a search of
Jackson’s backpack. In addition, the State conceded Jackson
4
The defendant may prove it was unreasonable for an officer to rely on third-
party consent by demonstrating the officer had reliable information indicating the
consenting party lacked authority to consent to the search of a closed container or that
it was obvious the container belonged exclusively to the defendant. Cf. Snype, 441 F.3d
at 136–37; Melgar, 227 F.3d at 1041.
30
maintained control over his backpack as a guest in Olson’s bedroom.
Thus, we must determine whether Olson had apparent authority to
consent to the search of Jackson’s backpack.
The first step in our analysis is to determine whether the State
proved by a preponderance of the evidence the facts and circumstances
known to the officers when Jackson’s backpack was searched would
have warranted a person of reasonable caution in the belief that Olson
had authority over the backpack. If so, Officer Smithey reasonably relied
on apparent authority to authorize the warrantless search without
making further inquiry. To answer this question, we must consider
whether a reasonable officer would have found Olson’s authority to
consent to a search of the backpack ambiguous based on the facts and
circumstances known to the officers. See Waller, 426 F.3d at 847.
The evidence shows the officers knew the following facts when
Officer Smithey conducted the search of the closed backpack. The
officers initiated contact with the occupants of the apartment because
they saw a black male observing them from the window and suspected
he was involved in the robbery. The officers had just responded to a call
about a robbery allegedly committed by two black males and followed
footprints in the snow to the building in which the apartment was
located. They were not responding to a call originating inside the
apartment. When the officers knocked on the front door, it was nearly
1:00 a.m. After Turner answered the door and let the officers inside,
Turner and Miller told the officers they lived in the apartment with their
roommate, Olson.
Turner and Miller indicated Olson was the only other person
present in the apartment, but that turned out to be untrue. When
Officer Smithey asked Olson if he could peek inside his bedroom, Olson
31
acknowledged Jackson was asleep in his bed. Olson told the officers
Jackson was not in the apartment when he went to sleep and he awoke
to discover Jackson sleeping beside him, but he did not suggest he was
alarmed to discover Jackson in his bed. No one suggested to the officers
that Jackson had broken into the apartment or had recently arrived, and
no one indicated anything suspicious had occurred that evening.
Rather, Turner indicated he had been home since approximately
9:00 p.m. and nothing suspicious had occurred since that time. The
officers did not ask Turner, Miller, or Olson if Jackson was staying in the
apartment or if he had any belongings there. Although the officers
noticed Jackson was sweaty and difficult to rouse from slumber, they
found him to be cooperative once he was awake.
Before Officer Smithey informed Jackson of the outstanding
warrant for his arrest and escorted him from the room, the officers did
not ask him if he was staying in the apartment or had any belongings
there. When the officers later asked Olson if there were any guns in his
bedroom, he responded that there should not be or there were not any
that he knew of. Olson then consented to a search of the room for guns
or evidence of the robbery, but neither officer asked whether he owned
the backpack or confirmed that everything in the room belonged to him.
The backpack was sitting a few feet from the bed where Jackson had just
been sleeping along the wall next to or partly inside the closet door,
which was partially off its hinges.
We conclude the circumstances existing when Officer Smithey
conducted the search of the backpack would cause a person of
reasonable caution to question whether the backpack belonged to
Jackson or Olson and whether it was subject to mutual use by Olson.
See id. at 849. First, although no one in the apartment referred to
32
Jackson as an overnight guest, the circumstances clearly suggested
Jackson was an overnight guest. When the officers arrived at the
apartment in the middle of the night, Jackson appeared to be asleep in a
bed. Olson stated he was not sure when Jackson arrived, but he was not
alarmed when he awoke to discover Jackson partially clothed beside him
in bed. Obviously Olson and Jackson were familiar enough that
Jackson’s presence in Olson’s room late at night was not an unusual
occurrence. In fact, there was reason to believe Jackson had a key to the
apartment because Turner and Miller did not appear to know Jackson
was in the apartment and Olson indicated Jackson arrived when he was
asleep. In other words, the information available to the officers
suggested Jackson arrived at the apartment when no one was home
sometime after Olson went to sleep but before Turner arrived home from
work.
Second, the circumstances known to the officers were sufficient to
alert them to the fact that Jackson had clothes other than the pajama
pants he was wearing at the apartment. The officers knew it was cold
enough outside that Jackson probably had some sort of warmer apparel
at the apartment, as there was fresh snow on the ground and they had
followed footprints in the snow to the apartment building. The floor plan
of the apartment was such that Jackson would have had to enter it from
outdoors.
Third, the circumstances indicated it was likely the clothes
Jackson was wearing when he arrived at the apartment were in Olson’s
bedroom. Jackson was asleep on the bed in Olson’s bedroom wearing
pajama pants when the officers arrived. Yet the statements Turner and
Miller made to the officers indicated they did not know Jackson was in
the apartment. Had Jackson changed into the pajama pants in the
33
bathroom, kitchen, or living room and left his clothes there, Turner and
Miller likely would have seen them and known Jackson was in the
apartment. Thus, the fact that Turner and Miller did not know Jackson
was in the apartment suggested he either changed into the pajama pants
in Olson’s room or moved his clothes to Olson’s room after putting the
pajama pants on. Moreover, a backpack is the sort of container a person
staying overnight in a place other than his or her home might use to hold
clothing and other personal items.
Fourth, the statements Olson made suggested he knew there were
items in his bedroom that did not belong to him. Olson did not answer
definitively when asked whether there was a gun in the room. Had
everything in the room that could conceal a gun belonged to Olson, he
could have stated with certainty that there was no gun in the room.
Instead, Olson waffled. His uncertainty in response to a direct question
suggested he knew there were items in the room that did not belong to
him and knew that one of those items might be a container concealing a
gun from plain view.
Faced with these circumstances, we conclude a reasonable officer
would have doubted whether Jackson owned the backpack and
questioned whether Olson had authority to consent to a search of it. See
id. at 848. The State does not dispute the officers made no inquiry
concerning who owned the backpack before Officer Smithey searched it.
Nor does the State suggest either officer ever asked anyone whether
Jackson was staying in the apartment or had any personal belongings
there. Had the officers asked questions intended to clarify whether
Olson had authority to consent to the search of the backpack, Officer
Smithey might have reasonably relied on the answers the officers
received to proceed with a warrantless search based on Olson’s apparent
34
authority to consent. However, the officers asked no questions to clarify
who owned or used the backpack before Officer Smithey searched it even
though the circumstances indicated Olson’s authority to consent to a
search of the backpack was ambiguous. Because the officers asked no
such questions, Officer Smithey’s reliance on Olson’s consent to a search
of his room to authorize a warrantless search of the backpack was
unreasonable. In short, because the circumstances were unclear and
the officers sought no clarification, Officer Smithey could not reasonably
rely on apparent authority to authorize a warrantless search of the
backpack.
The district court concluded the officers might have reasonably
believed Jackson likely ran to the apartment after the robbery and
feigned sleep. We do not disagree. However, the circumstances also
suggested Jackson was either an overnight guest or staying in the
apartment. The fact the officers might have reasonably thought one of
these scenarios was more likely than the other does not eliminate the
fact the circumstances were ambiguous. Moreover, if Officer Smithey
reasonably believed Jackson was one of the restaurant robbers when he
searched the backpack, that suggests he did not reasonably believe
Olson had authority over the backpack when he searched it. If the very
purpose of the search was to find evidence linking Jackson to the
robbery, Officer Smithey would have had no motivation to open the
closed backpack unless he believed it might have belonged to Jackson.
See id. at 849.
Finally, we note apparent authority is only a lawful basis for a
search in “situations in which an officer would have had valid consent to
search if the facts were as he reasonably believed them to be.” Salinas-
Cano, 959 F.2d at 865 (quoting Whitfield, 939 F.2d at 1074). Thus, even
35
if Officer Smithey reasonably believed Jackson had just arrived in the
apartment, he could only reasonably rely on apparent authority to justify
the search of the backpack so long as he reasonably believed Olson
owned it. In light of the facts known to the officers when Officer Smithey
opened the backpack, after realizing it contained a wallet and clothing
recently worn outside, a reasonable officer would have been on notice
that the backpack might not belong to Olson.
Nonetheless, when Officer Smithey removed the wallet from the
backpack, he initially declined to open it. Instead, he reached into the
backpack again, felt the wet hem on the jeans, and realized they had just
been worn outside in the snow. At that point, if not before, a reasonable
officer would have suspected the backpack likely belonged to Jackson.
However, instead of stopping the search, Officer Smithey removed the
jeans from the backpack and saw the gun beneath them. Only then did
he open the wallet to confirm his suspicion that Jackson owned the
backpack. The fact that he did so confirms he recognized it was unclear
who owned the backpack by the time he removed the jeans from within
it. Because Officer Smithey could not have reasonably believed it was
certain that Olson owned the backpack, yet declined to open the wallet
sooner despite the ambiguous circumstances, his continued reliance on
Olson’s consent to authorize the warrantless search was unreasonable.
Because we conclude the circumstances were sufficiently
ambiguous to place a reasonable officer on notice of his obligation to
make inquiry as to who had authority to consent to a search of the
closed backpack prior to searching it, we conclude the warrantless
search of the backpack was unlawful under the Fourth Amendment. See
Waller, 426 F.3d at 849. Thus, the district court erred in failing to
suppress the evidence found in the backpack and the fruits of the
36
unlawful search. See Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 484–85,
83 S. Ct. 407, 415–16, 9 L. Ed. 2d 441, 453–54 (1963).
VI. The Defendant’s Claim Under the Iowa Constitution.
Jackson also claims the State violated his rights under article I,
section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Article I, section 8 of the Iowa
Constitution provides that “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable seizures and
searches shall not be violated.” Iowa Const. art. I, § 8.
We jealously guard our right to construe a provision of our state
constitution differently than its federal counterpart, though the two
provisions may contain nearly identical language and have the same
general scope, import, and purpose. Kooima, 833 N.W.2d at 206; see
Varnum v. Brien, 763 N.W.2d 862, 878 n.6 (Iowa 2009). We also reserve
our right to independently apply a federal standard more stringently than
federal caselaw when construing the requirements of our state
constitution, whether or not a party has advanced a different standard
applies under the state constitution. Kooima, 833 N.W.2d at 206; see
Varnum, 763 N.W.2d at 879 n.6.
However, because we conclude the warrantless search violated the
federal constitution, we need not decide whether independent analysis or
a more stringent application of the federal standard governing
warrantless searches is required under our state constitution. See
Ochoa, 792 N.W.2d at 267; cf. Racing Ass’n of Cent. Iowa v. Fitzgerald,
675 N.W.2d 1, 4–7 (Iowa 2004) (describing this court’s obligation to
independently evaluate constitutionality under our state constitution
when conduct does not violate the federal constitution). Thus, we do not
consider whether a warrantless search is valid under our state
37
constitution when the individual who consented to a search of a
premises had apparent authority, but not actual authority, to consent to
a search of a closed container on that premises. See, e.g., State v. Lopez,
896 P.2d 889, 903 (Haw. 1995); State v. McLees, 994 P.2d 683, 690–91
(Mont. 2000); State v. Wright, 893 P.2d 455, 460–61 (N.M. Ct. App.
1995); State v. Will, 885 P.2d 715, 719–20 (Or. Ct. App. 1994). Nor do we
consider whether Jackson’s trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective
for failing to argue the state constitution permits a warrantless search of
a closed container based on consent to a premises search only when the
person who consented to the premises search had actual authority to
consent to a search of the closed container.
VII. Disposition.
Because the State failed to prove Olson had apparent authority to
consent to a search of Jackson’s backpack, we conclude the warrantless
search was unlawful under the Fourth Amendment of the United States
Constitution without further inquiry. Because the district court erred in
denying Jackson’s motion to suppress the evidence found in the
backpack and the fruits of the unlawful search, we vacate the decision of
the court of appeals, reverse the judgment of the district court, and
remand the case for a new trial.
DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT
COURT JUDGMENT REVERSED AND CASE REMANDED.
All justices concur except Appel, J., who concurs specially, and
Zager, Waterman, and Mansfield, JJ., who dissent.
38
#14–0067, State v. Jackson
APPEL, Justice (concurring specially).
I concur in the majority opinion. I would base the decision in this
case, however, on article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution.
First, article I, section 1 declares that men and women have
certain “inalienable rights,” among those being “enjoying and defending
life and liberty . . . .” The general declaration of inalienable rights is
given further definition in article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution,
which provides,
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers and effects, against unreasonable seizures and
searches shall not be violated; and no warrant shall issue
but on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons and things to be seized.
The constitutional focus of article I, section 8 is on protecting personal,
inalienable rights at the very heart of freedom, the right to be secure in
one’s home and personal effects from unwarranted government
invasions. See State v. Young, 863 N.W.2d 249, 278 (Iowa 2015) (“The
bill of rights of the Iowa Constitution embraces the notion of ‘inalienable
rights’ . . . .”); State v. Short, 851 N.W.2d 474, 484 (Iowa 2014) (noting
the role of article I, section 1 in this court’s decision in Coger v. Nw.
Union Packet Co., 37 Iowa 145 (1873), which rejected the notion that
African Americans could be subjected to different treatment in public
transportation); Joseph R. Grodin, Rediscovering the State Constitutional
Right to Happiness and Safety, 25 Hastings Const. L. Q. 1, 22 (1997)
(“[M]ost courts have assumed that the inalienable rights clauses have
some judicially enforceable content.”).
Second, the United States Supreme Court, in recent innovations,
has undercut its own previous recognition of the traditional and
39
fundamental concept that search and seizure protections are personal
rights. In Stoner v. California, the Court declared that the right to be free
from a warrantless search was “a right . . . which only the petitioner
could waive . . . either directly or through an agent.” 376 U.S. 483, 489,
84 S. Ct. 889, 893, 11 L. Ed. 2d 856, 860 (1964). Consistent with the
personal-rights theory of search and seizure protections, after Stoner, the
Court held that search and seizure rights are personal rights which
cannot be asserted by a third party. Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 133–
34, 99 S. Ct. 421, 425, 58 L. Ed. 2d 387, 391 (1978). Although the
Court significantly and unworkably undermined the concept of consent
in Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, consent was still described as a situation
“where a person foregoes a constitutional right.” 412 U.S. 218, 245, 93
S. Ct. 2041, 2057, 36 L. Ed. 2d 854, 873 (1973).
The Court, however, upset the logic and balance of its prior
consent cases in Illinois v. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 110 S. Ct. 2793, 111
L. Ed. 2d 148 (1990). In Rodriguez, the Court abandoned its focus on the
personal nature of search and seizure protections and instead developed
a new test of consent based on the reasonableness of police conduct. Id.
at 184, 110 S. Ct. at 2799, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 158; see Christo Lassiter,
Consent to Search by Ignorant People, 39 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 1171, 1173
(2007) (characterizing Rodriguez as “a new approach”).
This new approach to consent embraced by the Court in Rodriguez
stands in strong contradiction to its prior caselaw. We should not
embrace this new approach to consent under the Iowa Constitution,
which protects inalienable rights, including those related to search and
seizure in article I, section 8. We have rejected “socio-juristic
rationalizations” or “dilution” theories in search and seizure law. State v.
Cullison, 173 N.W.2d 533, 536 (Iowa 1970).
40
Third, while the United States Supreme Court in Rodriguez and
other later cases has sought to shrink the warrant requirement through
radiations emanating from a highly pliable reasonableness clause, we
have declined to adopt this additional revision of traditional search and
seizure law under article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Instead,
we have reaffirmed the primacy of the warrant requirement. See State v.
Ochoa, 792 N.W.2d 260, 269 (Iowa 2010).
We examined these developments at length in State v. Short, 851
N.W.2d 474. As noted in Short, our constitutional jurisprudence has
long emphasized the primacy of the warrant requirement. Id. at 503. In
Short, we reiterated the traditional view that the constitutional workhorse
of the search and seizure protections under article I, section 8 is the
warrant requirement. Id. at 506. As explained in Short, the warrant
requirement mandates not only that searches be approved by a neutral
magistrate, but equally importantly that the scope of the search be well
defined and that probable cause exists to support it. Id. at 502–03.
Short firmly rejected the view that a freestanding concept of
“reasonableness . . . [was] the touchstone of search and seizure law.” Id.
at 501. We stated in Short that such an approach eviscerated the
protections available under search and seizure law. Id. at 501–02.
There are, as recognized in Short, exceptions to the ordinarily
required warrant based largely upon the impracticability of obtaining a
warrant. Id. at 496–97. There is no claim in this case that the
warrantless search here was supported by exigent circumstances or a
search incident to arrest. The search is supported solely on the theory of
consent. The question thus is whether the defendant here consented to
forego the constitutional protections offered by the warrant requirement
41
under article I, section 8. If a person grants consent to a search or
seizure, the protections of article I, section 8 are inapplicable.
Fourth, in evaluating consent, the sole focus is whether the
individual has elected to forgo personal constitutional protections,
thereby rendering constitutional limitations inapplicable. The focus
should laser in on the only relevant constitutional issues: Did the
defendant give consent, and was the consent voluntary or coerced?
We must thus separate the wheat from the chaff. Consent
searches have nothing to do with the impracticability of obtaining a
warrant. Impracticability is beside the point. Consent searches have
nothing to do with the reasonability of police conduct. Otherwise, the
personal search and seizure protections of article I, section 8 are turned
upside down and subverted from providing personal protections into an
enabling act allowing police to engage in warrantless searches without
consent as long as the search meets some freewheeling post-hoc concept
of reasonableness. See Thomas Y. Davies, Denying a Right by
Disregarding Doctrine: How Illinois v. Rodriguez Demeans Consent,
Trivializes Fourth Amendment Reasonableness, and Exaggerates the
Excusability of Police Error, 59 Tenn. L. Rev. 1, 6 (1991) [hereinafter
Davies].
Here, it is clear there was no actual consent. Further, it is
undisputed that no third party had actual authority to give consent.
Under article I, section 8, a warrant is thus required to conduct the
search, unless some exception to the warrant requirement is present.
Because the State does not claim any other basis to support the search,
the results of the search are based on an unauthorized third-party
consent and must be suppressed.
42
In this case, counsel for Jackson did not argue that article I,
section 8 of the Iowa Constitution should be construed differently from
its federal counterpart. In my view, Jackson received ineffective
assistance of counsel because of his failure to raise the issue. As we
have previously stated, defense lawyers must “take pains to guarantee
that their training is adequate and their knowledge up-to-date in order to
fulfill their duty as advocates.” State v. Vance, 790 N.W.2d 775, 785
(Iowa 2010) (quoting ABA Standards for Criminal Justice: Prosecution
Function and Defense Function 4-1.2(e) cmt., at 122–23 (3d ed. 1993)).
Further, an effective attorney is one who “diligently devotes him or
herself to scholarly study of the governing legal principles” implicated in
a given case. Id. at 786 (quoting 16 Gregory C. Sisk & Mark S. Cady,
Iowa Practice Series: Lawyer and Judicial Ethics, § 5:1(b), at 140 (2007)).
A lawyer conforming to these standards would have been aware of the
willingness of state courts, including Iowa’s, to depart from United States
Supreme Court precedent in the search and seizure area, of the caselaw
from other jurisdictions where state supreme courts have declined to
follow Rodriguez, and of the academic literature criticizing the consent
doctrine adopted in Rodriguez. See State v. Lopez, 896 P.2d 899, 901–02
(Haw. 1995); State v. McLees, 994 P.2d 683, 691 (Mont. 2000); State v.
Wright, 893 P.2d 455, 461 (N.M. Ct. App. 1995); State v. Will, 885 P.2d
715, 719 (Or. Ct. App. 1994); State v. Morse, 123 P.3d 832, 838 (Wash.
2005); Davies, 59 Tenn. L. Rev. at 8–10.
For the above reasons, I would thus hold that the search in this
case is constitutionally infirm under article I, section 8 of the Iowa
Constitution.
43
#14–0067, State v. Jackson
ZAGER, Justice (dissenting).
I respectfully dissent.
After thoroughly reviewing all of the evidence, the district court
concluded that under the Fourth Amendment, Olson had apparent
authority to consent to the search of the backpack located in his
bedroom. I agree, and I would affirm the decision of the court of appeals
and the judgment of the district court.
As a preliminary matter, I agree with the conclusion reached by the
majority that this case can be decided under the Fourth Amendment to
the United States Constitution and the cases cited therein. See Illinois v.
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 186, 110 S. Ct. 2793, 2800, 111 L. Ed. 2d 148,
160 (1990). However, I also think it is important to recognize the
standard of review that must be utilized. Our review in this case is de
novo. State v. Gaskins, 866 N.W.2d 1, 5 (Iowa 2015). “Because this
case concerns the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable
searches and seizures, our review of the district court’s suppression
ruling is de novo.” Id. (quoting State v. Watts, 801 N.W.2d 845, 850
(Iowa 2011)). “We independently evaluate the totality of the
circumstances found in the record, including the evidence introduced at
both the suppression hearing and at trial.” Id. (quoting State v. Vance,
790 N.W.2d 775, 780 (Iowa 2010)).
I. General Search and Seizure Principles.
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue,
but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
44
U.S. Const. amend. IV. Both the Fourth Amendment and article I,
section 8 of the Iowa Constitution protect the right of individuals to be
free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Id.; Iowa Const. art. I,
§ 8.
“Warrantless searches are per se unreasonable if they do not fall
within one of the well-recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement.”
State v. Tyler, 867 N.W.2d 136, 169 (Iowa 2015) (quoting State v. Lowe,
812 N.W.2d 554, 568 (Iowa 2012)). Under the Fourth Amendment, a
warrant is not required to authorize a search performed pursuant to
voluntary consent. See State v. Pals, 805 N.W.2d 767, 777 (Iowa 2011).
Likewise, we have recognized that an officer may rely on the consent of a
third party to authorize a warrantless search, so long as the
circumstances indicate the third party had actual authority to consent to
a search of the location. See, e.g., State v. Campbell, 326 N.W.2d 350,
352 (Iowa 1982). The State has conceded that there was no actual
authority for the third party—Olson—to consent to the search of the
backpack.
II. Apparent Authority to Consent to a Search.
Under the Fourth Amendment, a law enforcement officer is entitled
to rely on the consent of a third party authorizing a warrantless search
based on that third party’s apparent authority to consent to the search in
question. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 186, 110 S. Ct. at 2800, 111 L. Ed. 2d
at 160. The Supreme Court has made it clear that under the Fourth
Amendment, law enforcement officers may conduct a search based on
the consent of a party who does not have actual authority over the
property to be searched, so long as the officers reasonably (though
erroneously) believe that the person who has consented to their entry
had authority over the premises. Id. In Rodriguez, the Court concluded
45
a warrantless search conducted after obtaining the consent of a third
party does not violate the Fourth Amendment so long as the facts
available to the officers at the time the search occurred would “ ‘warrant
a man of reasonable caution in the belief’ that the consenting party had
authority over the premises.” Id. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed.
2d at 161 (quoting Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 21–22, 88 S. Ct. 1868,
1880, 20 L. Ed. 2d 889, 906 (1968)). If not, “warrantless entry without
further inquiry is unlawful unless authority actually exists.” Id. at 188–
89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. The Court cautioned that
“surrounding circumstances could conceivably be such that a reasonable
person would doubt [an individual’s assertion of authority] and not act
upon it without further inquiry.” Id. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L.
Ed. 2d at 161. As such, we utilize an objective standard to determine
whether apparent authority existed at the time of a warrantless search.
Id.
We have adopted these doctrines through our own case law. See,
e.g., Lowe, 812 N.W.2d at 576. Relying on Rodriguez, we confirmed that
the authority to consent includes not only actual authority, but also
apparent authority. Id. We also confirmed that apparent authority
validates a search when officers “enter without a warrant because they
reasonably (though erroneously) believe that the person who has
consented to their entry” had the authority to do so. Id. (quoting
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 186, 110 S. Ct. at 2800, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 160).
We apply an objective standard when analyzing consent and ask,
“[W]ould the facts available to the officer at the moment . . . warrant a
[person] of reasonable caution in the belief that the consenting party had
authority over the premises?” Id. (second alteration in original) (quoting
Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161).
46
A. Apparent Authority Applied to Closed Containers. As the
majority properly notes, the Supreme Court has yet to apply the doctrine
of consent by a third party to the search of another’s closed container
under the theory of apparent authority. I also recognize that there is a
split of authority as to the application of the doctrine among the federal
circuit courts of appeals. However, what is clear is that any analysis of
the doctrine is highly fact-specific. It is equally clear that it is only in
those circumstances where ambiguity exists that it is reasonable to
require that officers make further inquiry regarding the ownership of the
closed container. “Even when the invitation is accompanied by an
explicit assertion that the person lives there, the surrounding
circumstances could conceivably be such that a reasonable person would
doubt its truth and not act upon it without further inquiry.” Rodriguez,
497 U.S. at 188, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. While
acknowledging a split of authority, a review of various decisions of the
United States Courts of Appeal confirms several conclusions. First, the
facts in those cases are distinguishable from the facts presented here.
Second, there is no ambiguity relating to the authority of Olson to
consent to the search of the backpack in this case. Therefore, the law
enforcement officers had no duty to make further inquiry before they
searched the backpack.
1. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In United States v. Salinas-Cano,
the defendant was arrested following a controlled drug buy. 959 F.2d
861, 862 (10th Cir. 1992). After his arrest, police went to his girlfriend’s
apartment and asked her for permission to search. Id. The police told
her they were specifically interested in Salinas-Cano’s possessions. Id.
She consented to the search and told the police where Salinas-Cano kept
his belongings at her apartment. Id. The police opened what they had
47
just been advised was Salinas-Cano’s closed but unlocked suitcase,
where they discovered cocaine. Id.
In addition to the obvious differences between the facts of Salinas-
Cano and the case presently before us, the legal arguments were also
distinct. In Salinas-Cano, the government primarily relied on the
concepts of actual authority, joint access, and control in arguing for the
admissibility of the evidence. See id. at 863. The government also
attempted to utilize the apparent authority doctrine because the officer
testified he thought the consenting party—the girlfriend—had joint access
and control. Id. at 865. As properly concluded by the court, apparent
authority “does not empower the police to legitimize a search merely by
the incantation of the phrase.” Id. The analysis should instead rest
entirely upon the reasonableness of the officer’s belief in the apparent
authority. Id.
There is no logical correlation between the facts in Salinas-Cano
and the facts in the case now before us. I would agree there may
arguably be ambiguity under the facts presented in Salinas-Cano
regarding actual authority, joint access, and control. Under those
circumstances, further inquiry by police would appear reasonable. The
failure to make this further inquiry regarding actual authority, joint
access, and control over what the officers knew was someone else’s
property was unreasonable. However, the decision in that case bears no
factual similarity to the facts of our case and does not help inform the
outcome here.
2. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case currently before us is
also clearly distinguishable from the facts considered by the Sixth Circuit
in United States v. Waller, 426 F.3d 838 (6th Cir. 2005). After a falling
out with the owners of his previous residence, Waller obtained
48
permission from a friend to store his personal belongings in the friend’s
apartment. Id. at 842. Waller kept a brown luggage bag, garbage bags of
clothing, and food at the friend’s apartment. Id. He also ate, showered,
and changed clothes at the apartment, but he did not sleep there. Id.
Waller was later arrested in the parking lot of the apartment complex
where the friend resided. Id. After arresting Waller in the parking lot,
the arresting officers proceeded to the apartment. Id. Waller’s friend, the
tenant, advised the officers that Waller had been storing some property
in his apartment. Id. The friend consented to the search of the
apartment, and the police began searching for personal items belonging
to Waller. Id. One of the officers found the zipped brown luggage bag in
the bedroom closet, opened it, and discovered two handguns. Id.
Relying on Rodriguez, the court stated, “[W]here the circumstances
presented would cause a person of reasonable caution to question
whether the third party has mutual use of the property, ‘warrantless
entry without further inquiry is unlawful[.]’ ” Id. at 846 (alteration in
original) (quoting Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111
L. Ed. 2d at 161). The court concluded that “the circumstances made it
unclear whether Waller’s luggage bag was ‘subject to mutual use by’ [his
friend] and therefore the officers’ warrantless entry into that luggage
without further inquiry was unlawful.” Id. at 847. As will be discussed
below, ambiguous facts related to mutual use and apparent authority are
not present in our case.
3. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The facts considered by the
Seventh Circuit in United States v. Melgar are most analogous to the
facts before us now. 227 F.3d 1038 (7th Cir. 2000). In their
investigation of the charges of passing counterfeit checks, officers
obtained consent to search a motel room from the woman who had
49
rented it. Id. at 1039. There were a number of other people in the room
when the officers arrived. Id. While conducting a search of the room, the
officers found a purse with no identifying marks on it under the mattress
of the hotel bed. Id. at 1040. Without inquiring further as to which of
the occupants owned the purse, the officers opened it. Id. The court
rejected the argument that the officers should have inquired further as to
the actual ownership of the purse. Id. at 1041–42. The court concluded
that apparent authority exists so long as the officer who conducts a
warrantless search pursuant to third-party consent has no reliable
information indicating that the consenting party has no authority over
the container being searched. Id.
The majority rejects the Seventh Circuit’s approach for requiring
such “reliable information.” However, I believe that requiring some
reliable facts is the most logical approach. The facts are even stronger in
our case. Olson, the sole tenant of the room, provided consent to search
his bedroom. After being granted consent to search, police had no
reason to believe there was any limitation on the consent unless some
information, whether expressed by someone or clear from the
circumstances, alerted the officers that the authority to search a closed
container in his bedroom may be in question. A simple “that purse isn’t
mine” on the facts of Melgar, or a simple “that’s not my backpack” here,
would seem to suffice. Simply standing mute does not.
4. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The facts of the Second
Circuit’s decision in United States v. Snype are so convoluted that even a
full recitation would not, in my opinion, contribute to a principled
resolution of our case. See 441 F.3d 119, 125–27 (2d Cir. 2006).
However, the one principle that does evolve from this opinion is the
approach to apparent authority taken by the Second Circuit. The
50
approach taken in Snype is that an open-ended consent to search an
apartment by a lessee permits the search and seizure of any items found
in the apartment with the exception of those that “obviously belonged” to
another person. Id. at 137. This is a fact question to be decided
objectively based on a review of the unique facts and circumstances of
each case.
III. Applicable Test.
The majority spends a considerable number of pages attempting to
decide who has the burden of proof in a case of apparent authority to
search when consent is given by a third party. There is really no
question that the government bears the burden of proving that any
search does not violate the Fourth Amendment. Under Rodriguez, when
consent to a warrantless search is given by a third person, such consent
must be based on actual or apparent authority. See Rodriguez, 497 U.S.
at 188–89, 110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. None of the
authorities cited by the majority stand for the proposition that the
defendant must come forward with evidence to show the officer could not
have reasonably relied on the third-party consent. There is no burden
placed on the defendant. Rather, an objective review of the facts of each
case will speak for themselves. Likewise, the various competing interests
discussed by the majority are already subsumed in the standards that
the courts have been utilizing for decades.
In Rodriguez, the Court clearly established that the government
has two potential avenues for meeting its burden of proving the
effectiveness of third-party consent. First, the government may
introduce evidence demonstrating that the person who consented to the
search had actual authority to consent. Id. at 181, 110 S. Ct. at 2798,
111 L. Ed. 2d at 155–56. Second, the government may introduce
51
evidence demonstrating that the facts available to the officer at the time
of the search would have warranted a person of reasonable caution in
the belief that the person whose consent had been obtained had the
authority to consent to the search. Id. at 185–86, 110 S. Ct. at 2801,
111 L. Ed. 2d at 161. Nothing in these standards shifts the burden of
proof to the defendant.
This brings us to the issue of ambiguity. The majority takes the
position that any time there is a question of ownership of a container, no
matter how remote or how attenuated it may be, an ambiguity exists
which requires further inquiry by police. Failing to make this further
inquiry makes the search unlawful. However, this is not what the law or
the Constitution requires.
Rodriguez neither imposes a duty of exhaustive inquiry by
police before apparent authority will be found to exist, nor
credits willful ignorance; it requires that the officer’s belief in
the consenter’s authority over the place or object be
objectively reasonable.
State v. Westlake, 353 P.3d 438, 442 (Idaho Ct. App. 2015). Police may
not accept an invitation to search if the existing circumstances would
cause a reasonable person to doubt the consenter’s authority, absent
any further inquiry. Id. The question here is whether a reasonable
police officer, looking at all the facts available, would doubt that Olson
had the authority to consent to the search of his bedroom and the
contents of his bedroom, including the backpack. The answer is that
there is no reasonable doubt. There is also no ambiguity requiring
further inquiry. There was no Fourth Amendment violation here.
IV. Analysis.
The parties stipulated Olson did not have actual authority to
consent to the search of Jackson’s backpack. In addition, the State
52
conceded Jackson maintained control over his backpack located in
Olson’s bedroom. We must therefore determine whether Olson had the
apparent authority to consent to the search of Jackson’s backpack. Any
analysis must begin with a full recitation of the facts.
A. Facts. On November 13, 2012, Iowa City police officer Michael
McKenna was dispatched to the On the Go BP gas station in Iowa City
after a report of an armed robbery. The store clerk reported that a black
male with a thin build, wearing a black mask and a red coat, entered the
store, pointed a gun at him, and demanded the money in the cash
register and a carton of Newport 100’s cigarettes. Detective Scott
Stevens of the Iowa City Police Department was the primary investigator
for the On the Go BP robbery. Detective Stevens watched the
surveillance video of the robbery with the store owner. The video showed
a medium height, black male enter the store wearing a red coat, a black
face mask, and white tennis shoes. On December 13, the store owner
called Detective Stevens and told him that a customer had identified the
robber as a man with the street name “Juicy.” With this information,
Detective Stevens was able to identify “Juicy” as Marvis Latrell Jackson.
After unsuccessful attempts to reach Jackson, Detective Stevens
obtained a warrant for his arrest.
At 12:35 a.m. on December 31, Iowa City police officer Michael
Smithey was dispatched to Gumby’s Pizza after a report of an armed
robbery. The Gumby’s employee told Officer Smithey that two black
males had entered the restaurant wearing black hats and had black
bandanas covering their faces. One of the men had pointed a handgun
at him and demanded money from the cash register. The employee
complied and estimated that the robbers took $125 in one dollar bills,
53
$50 in five dollar bills, and one twenty dollar bill. The men ran out of the
store and headed northbound on Gilbert Street.
While Officer Smithey met with the employee, another man
approached the officer and asked if there had been a robbery. The man
stated he had just witnessed two black males walking away from the area
and one of the men appeared to be holding a fistful of cash. He also
stated that when the men saw him, they took off running. Officer
Smithey drove the witness to the location where he had last seen the
men on foot. Officer Smithey noticed footprints in the fresh snow and
called for a canine unit. Officer Brandon Faulkcon and his canine
partner arrived and were able to track the scent and the footprints to the
southeast corner of a building located on South Gilbert Street. Also
present were Officer Smithey and Officer Alex Stricker. The street level of
the building was a retail establishment, while the second story contained
apartments with outside doors accessible by a common stairwell in the
rear of the building. The officers visually surveyed the exterior of the
building. They saw lights on in one of the apartments and observed a
tall black male looking out of the window inquisitively. The man
appeared to match the description of one of the robbery suspects. When
he saw the officers looking up at him, he quickly ducked out of sight.
After this observation, the officers decided to approach the
apartment. When the officers arrived at the front door, they noticed that
the lights in the apartment had been turned off. While they were
standing outside the front door, they heard the apartment door lock from
the inside. Officer Smithey knocked on the door and announced he was
a police officer. A tall black male answered the door and identified
himself as Wesley Turner. The officers explained why they were there,
and Turner allowed them inside the apartment. When officers asked who
54
else was present in the apartment, Turner answered that it was only
him, his girlfriend Alyssa Miller, and their roommate Gunnar Olson.
Turner told officers that Olson was asleep in his room, but he agreed to
wake him so officers could speak with him. After Turner knocked on the
bedroom door, Olson, who is also a black male, emerged from his room.
The officers decided to speak with the men separately. Officer
Stricker continued to speak with Turner in the living room while Officer
Smithey spoke with Olson in the kitchen. Turner said he had been in
the apartment since he returned home from work at 9:00 p.m. He
reported he had not seen anything suspicious. When asked who lived in
the apartment, Turner confirmed that he lived in the apartment with only
Olson and Miller.
In the kitchen, Olson also confirmed that the only residents of the
apartment were himself, Turner, and Miller. Officer Smithey asked Olson
if he could look in his room. Olson told him that he had been sleeping in
his room after work and awoke to find his cousin, Marvis, sleeping next
to him. Upon further questioning by Officer Smithey, Olson admitted
that he did not know Marvis’s last name and that they were not really
cousins. When Officer Smithey entered Olson’s bedroom, he observed a
black male—who he later identified as Jackson—lying on an air mattress,
shirtless but wearing pajama bottoms. Officer Smithey observed that
Jackson’s neck and brow were sweaty, which he thought was odd since
the apartment was not warm and no one else was sweating. Olson then
attempted to wake Jackson. Officer Smithey thought it seemed
considerably more difficult than it should have been to wake him. After
Jackson got up, he was asked for identification. Jackson stated that he
did not have any identification, but identified himself as Marvis Latrell
Jackson. The officers ran Jackson’s name through dispatch and were
55
advised of the outstanding warrant for his arrest. Officer Smithey
arrested Jackson and turned him over to another officer, who removed
Jackson from the apartment. Jackson did not indicate he had any
personal possessions in the apartment or ask to retrieve any personal
property.
After Jackson was taken from the apartment, Officer Stricker
continued to speak with Olson. Olson repeated that Jackson had
apparently arrived sometime earlier that evening after he had gone to
sleep. He again confirmed that no one else lived in the apartment except
for the three tenants. When Olson was asked whether there were any
guns in the room, he replied that there should not be or that he did not
know of any. Olson repeated that he lived in the bedroom alone. Officer
Stricker asked Olson if he would consent to the search of his bedroom for
guns or any evidence of the robbery. Olson consented. When Officer
Smithey arrived, Officer Stricker informed him that Olson had consented
to the search of his bedroom for guns and any evidence of the robbery.
Officer Smithey confirmed with Olson that he consented to the search of
his bedroom.
Officer Smithey performed the search. He began the search of the
bedroom by searching under and around the air mattress and on a chair.
He then grabbed a backpack that was sitting on the floor in the doorway
of the bedroom closet. The backpack was closed and had no obvious
identifying marks or tags. Officer Smithey opened the closed backpack
and took out a wallet and placed it, unopened, on a nearby chair. Officer
Smithey reached in a second time and retrieved a pair of dark jeans that
were wet around the cuffs. Upon removing the jeans, Officer Smithey
saw a black handgun in the backpack. After discovering the handgun,
Officer Smithey discontinued his search.
56
Officer Smithey then checked the wallet for identification and
found that it contained identification belonging to Jackson. Officer
Smithey took a photograph of the handgun located inside the backpack
to use in an application for a search warrant. He instructed the other
officers to lock down the apartment so a search warrant could be
obtained. After the officers locked down the apartment, they conducted a
protective sweep. During the sweep, the officers observed a marijuana
grinder and pipe, which they photographed and included in the search
warrant application. Officer Smithey also included the photograph of the
handgun in the application. Investigator Tom Hartshorn of the Iowa City
Police Department applied for and obtained the search warrant for the
apartment. Investigator Hartshorn executed the warrant and found
clothes matching the description of the Gumby’s robbers, in addition to
money in an amount matching the description of the money taken from
Gumby’s.
B. Application. The threshold question in this case is whether,
based on all of the facts presented, Officer Smithey reasonably relied on
the apparent authority of Olson to consent to the search of the backpack
located within his bedroom, or whether Officer Smithey reasonably
needed to make further inquiry as to the ownership of the backpack.
Based on the fact-intensive, objective standard that we must utilize, a
reasonable person in Officer Smithey’s position would have concluded
that Olson had the apparent authority to consent to the search of the
backpack located on the floor of his bedroom. We only need to review the
facts presented here to support this conclusion.
As a starting point, contrary to the position of the majority, there is
nothing ambiguous about Olson’s authority to consent to the search of
his room, including the backpack. The officers initiated contact with the
57
occupants of the apartment as part of their investigation of an armed
robbery that had just occurred. Their investigation revealed a direct path
leading from the site of the robbery to the door of the apartment. This all
occurred between 12:35 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. There is no dispute that
officers knocked on the door, identified themselves, and explained that
they were investigating a robbery that had just occurred. Turner
consented to their entry into the apartment. They encountered Turner’s
girlfriend, Miller, who also acknowledged that she lived in the apartment.
Both Turner and Miller told officers that the only other person in the
apartment was their roommate, Olson.
Turner went to Olson’s bedroom and woke him. The officers
decided to speak with the two men separately. Officer Stricker spoke
with Turner. Turner indicated that he had been in the apartment since
he arrived home from work at approximately 9:00 p.m. He had observed
nothing suspicious. Meanwhile, Officer Smithey spoke with Olson in the
kitchen. Olson confirmed he lived alone in the apartment with Turner
and Miller. Olson told the officer the bedroom was his alone. Both
Turner and Olson independently confirmed that there were no other
tenants of the apartment, and there was no one else present in the
apartment. Despite repeated affirmations from all three tenants to the
contrary, when Officer Smithey asked Olson if he could peek inside his
bedroom, he learned there was another person in the apartment. Olson
claimed that he had gone to sleep, alone, earlier in the evening. It was
only after he had been awakened by Turner that he realized his cousin
Marvis had slipped into bed with him and was sleeping. When asked,
Olson acknowledged that he did not know Marvis’s last name and they
were not really cousins.
58
Olson led Officer Smithey to his bedroom while Officer Stricker
looked on. It is at this point that an objective review of the facts becomes
critical. The majority blindly accepts the statements made by Turner,
Olson, and Miller, even in the face of their obvious incredibility and
dishonesty. No one suggested that Jackson had broken into the
apartment, and no one suggested that the tenants were alarmed that
Jackson was found in the apartment. However, these are not facts or
evidence of anything. Likewise, none of the inhabitants—Turner, Miller,
or Olson—even remotely suggested to the officers that Jackson was a
tenant 5 or an overnight guest. 6
The majority is persuaded by the statements from Turner that he
had been home since 9:00 p.m., that no one had recently arrived at the
apartment, and that he had not observed anything suspicious. Of
course, all of these statements defy credibility. Further, the majority fails
to explain the obvious feigned sleep or the sweat observed on Jackson’s
forehead. This apparently does not require an explanation since “they
found him to be cooperative once he was awake.”
It was at this time that Jackson was informed of the outstanding
warrant for his arrest. While neither officer could specifically remember
telling Jackson to put his shirt back on before exiting the apartment,
they both believe Jackson got dressed since it was the middle of winter.
5Generally, one cotenant may consent to a search of a shared living area. United
States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 94 S. Ct. 988, 993, 39 L. Ed. 2d 242, 249–50
(1974). However, if one of the physically present cotenants does not consent to the
search, the search is rendered “unreasonable and invalid” as to that cotenant. Georgia
v. Randolph, 547 U.S. 103, 106, 126 S. Ct. 1515, 1518–19, 164 L. Ed. 2d 208, 217
(2006).
6Overnight guests may have a legitimate expectation of privacy in a host’s home.
Minnesota v. Olson, 495 U.S. 91, 99–100, 110 S. Ct. 1684, 1689–90, 109 L. Ed. 2d 85,
95 (1990).
59
The officers did not ask Jackson if he was staying in the apartment or if
he had any of his belongings in the apartment. Nor do I believe they
were required to do so. The officers were following up on an armed
robbery that had just occurred. The robbers had fled from the scene of
the robbery to the apartment. In an attempt to elude detection, Jackson
threw off his clothes, jumped into Olson’s bed, feigned sleep, and hoped
that the tenants could prevent officers from detecting him. Officers were
repeatedly told by all three tenants that there was no one else in the
apartment and that no one else lived there. There is nothing ambiguous
about this scenario. There is nothing in this record which would alert a
reasonable officer to stop and ask Jackson whether he was staying there
or whether he had any personal property located in the apartment. Of
course, if Jackson wanted to alert officers that some of his property was
located in Olson’s bedroom, he could easily have spoken up.
Officers then asked Olson for consent to search his bedroom,
which was granted. More importantly, Olson was specifically asked for
consent to search his bedroom to look for guns and any evidence of the
robbery. When asked if any guns would be found, he replied there
should not be any guns, or at least no guns that he knew of. Olson
consented to the search, without limitation. Olson also failed to inform
the officers that some of the property in his bedroom might not belong to
him. Neither officer asked Olson whether he owned the backpack, or
confirmed with Olson that everything in his bedroom belonged to him.
Again, nothing in the record would require such an inquiry. There is no
ambiguity under the facts here. Nothing would have alerted Officer
Smithey, as a person of reasonable caution, to question whether a
backpack located near or partially in Olson’s bedroom closet actually
belonged to him.
60
Certainly there were no facts tending to show the backpack
belonged to Jackson. There is simply no evidence to support this. The
majority first asserts that the circumstances clearly suggested that
Jackson was an overnight guest. But let’s look at the facts. The majority
finds significant that it was the middle of the night. However, the armed
robbery the officers were investigating had occurred only minutes before.
Jackson appeared to be asleep—yet the feigned heaviness of the sleep
and the obvious sweat observed on Jackson’s forehead belies that he was
asleep. Olson told the officers that he did not know when Jackson
disrobed and got into bed with him, but he was not alarmed. After first
lying about Jackson’s mere existence in his bedroom, Olson could not
even tell the officers Jackson’s last name. Under this set of facts, the
majority concludes that “obviously Olson and Jackson are familiar
enough that Jackson’s presence in Olson’s room late at night was not an
unusual occurrence.” I find this incredible.
The majority then enters into the realm of fantasy by suggesting
that Jackson may have even had a key to the apartment because Turner
and Miller did not appear to know Jackson was in the apartment and
Olson claimed Jackson arrived after he was asleep. Or perhaps Jackson
and someone else committed an armed robbery, Jackson ran to Turner’s
apartment where they were let in, Jackson ran into Olson’s bedroom,
disrobed and pretended to go to sleep, and hoped that Turner and Miller
could hold the authorities at bay. It is inconceivable that the officers
here would reasonably believe that Jackson simply arrived in Olson’s
bedroom when no one else was home sometime after Olson went to sleep
but before Turner arrived home from work.
Second, I agree that officers would have reasonably known that
Jackson was probably wearing clothing other than his pajama pants
61
prior to his entering Olson’s bedroom. However, I do not believe that
adds any cogent facts to our analysis. His clothing could have been
literally anywhere in the apartment. The officers had no reason to
assume an overnight guest would stuff their wet pants in a backpack. It
is much more likely the guest would toss their wet pants over a chair, in
the closet, or on the tub in the bathroom. The officers here were not
looking for wet pants in a backpack, nor would they have any other
reason to assume that the backpack belonged to Jackson. None of the
facts in this record would lead a reasonable officer to question the
ownership of the backpack.
Similarly, the majority claims that the officers should have
somehow reasonably known that Jackson’s clothes were concealed in an
unmarked backpack located in Olson’s bedroom because he was in his
pajama pants. To support this inference, the majority repeats the
already discredited story from Turner and Miller that they had no idea
that Jackson was in the apartment. If they had seen his clothes in the
bathroom, kitchen, or living room, then they would have known Jackson
was there. The majority believes this “suggests” Jackson either changed
into pajama pants in Olson’s room or moved the clothing to Olson’s room
after changing. Then Jackson had the courtesy to stuff only his pants
into the backpack, because this is the sort of container a person staying
overnight in a place other than his own home might use to hold clothing
and other personal items. But where is all of Jackson’s other clothing?
Where did he find the clothing that he presumably wore out of the
apartment? Other than speculation and conjecture, there is simply
nothing in these facts that aid Jackson.
Last, the qualified statements made by Olson clearly do not alert
officers that he knew there were items in his bedroom that did not belong
62
to him, namely the backpack. Olson did not give the officers a definitive
answer when asked whether there was a gun in his room. This should
not come as a shock based on the lack of honesty by all of the residents
of the apartment up until this time. The majority takes this uncertainty
in response and again suggests Olson knew there were items in the room
that did not belong to him and knew that one of those items might be a
container concealing a gun. I do not believe that Olson’s avoidant
answer to the question about a gun suggests anything close to this to a
reasonable officer, nor would it suggest anything to a reasonable person.
C. Conclusion. Based on all of the above unique facts and
circumstances, the majority concludes a reasonable officer would have
questioned the ownership of the backpack and questioned whether Olson
had the apparent authority to consent to the search of it. However, this
conclusion rests upon the improper application of the Constitution and
case law. Our inquiry under the Federal Constitution is whether it was
reasonable for Officers Smithey and Stricker to believe that Olson had
authority to consent to the search of the bedroom and the backpack
contained therein. See Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 186, 110 S. Ct. at 2800,
111 L. Ed. 2d at 160 (“Whether the basis for such authority exists is the
sort of recurring factual question to which law enforcement officials must
be expected to apply their judgment; and all the Fourth Amendment
requires is that they answer it reasonably.”). In determining whether it
was reasonable for the officers to conclude Olson had authority to
consent, we apply an objective standard. See Lowe, 812 N.W.2d at 576.
We ask if “the facts available to the officer at the moment . . . [would]
‘warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that the consenting
party had authority over the premises.’ ” Rodriguez, 497 U.S. at 188,
110 S. Ct. at 2801, 111 L. Ed. 2d at 161 (quoting Terry, 392 U.S. at 21–
63
22, 88 S. Ct. at 1880, 20 L. Ed. 2d at 906). All of the facts presented
here would warrant a man of reasonable caution to believe that Olson
had the authority to consent to the search of his room and the contents
therein, including the backpack.
The majority creates ambiguity in the undisputed facts by
suggesting scenarios I have discounted above. Nothing in the facts
suggests Jackson was either an overnight guest or staying at the
apartment. There is no reasonable ambiguity here. Importantly, when
officers searched the backpack, they did not know who was involved in
the restaurant robbery. The point of the consent search was an attempt
to find evidence of the robbery. Jackson had been arrested for an
unrelated robbery that occurred weeks before. Jackson had not been
arrested for the restaurant robbery that had just occurred.
The majority then leaps to the conclusion that the very purpose of
the search of the backpack was to find evidence linking Jackson to the
restaurant robbery—rather than Olson, whose bedroom was being
searched. There is nothing in the record to support this statement. And
there is nothing in the record to suggest the backpack even belonged to
Jackson. Then the majority imputes to Officer Smithey that “he would
have no motivation to open the closed backpack unless he believed it
might belong to Jackson.” Nothing in the record even remotely suggests
this. In fact, the only evidence in the record is that officers did not know
who might be involved in the restaurant robbery.
Officers were investigating a robbery and were interested in trying
to find the gun that was used and any other evidence of the robbery.
Olson repeatedly and unqualifiedly consented to the search of his
bedroom. Nothing in the record suggests an alternative, improper motive
64
by officers in their search of the backpack in Olson’s bedroom—certainly
nothing targeting Jackson or his personal property.
Finally, the majority concludes that Officer Smithey could not
reasonably rely on the apparent authority doctrine to search the
backpack because it was not reasonable to believe that Olson owned it.
But what evidence suggests Officer Smithey would not reasonably believe
Olson owned the backpack? Officers were repeatedly told by all the
occupants that only the three tenants lived there. Olson confirmed that
he lived in his bedroom by himself. Olson originally denied that there
was anyone else in his bedroom. When caught, he did not even know
Jackson’s last name.
After Olson roused him, Jackson told the officers his name, but he
also told them he had no identification. Jackson did not tell officers his
identification was in his wallet in his backpack located a few feet away.
After being arrested on the outstanding warrant, Jackson did not alert
officers that he had a backpack located nearby. The backpack was
located on the floor near or in Olson’s bedroom closet. During the
search, Officer Smithey opened the backpack, discovered a wallet, and
set it aside. According to the majority, this should somehow have alerted
Officer Smithey that the backpack may belong to someone other than
Olson. How does this raise that inference? We have no idea where Olson
may have kept his billfold. This is not as unusual as the majority
suggests, and it does not point to the backpack belonging to someone
other than Olson. Many people carry their wallet in a separate bag or
backpack. Further, officers had just been explicitly told by Jackson that
he had no identification.
Officer Smithey reached into the backpack and discovered the
jeans with the wet hem. Again, officers did not know who the jeans
65
belonged to, but it was easy to conclude the jeans may have been related
to the robbery. The majority then concludes a reasonable officer should
have suspected the backpack belonged to Jackson. I disagree. This is
only evidence that someone recently came in from the outdoors—which
was exactly what the officers were investigating. At this point, it was
more likely for a reasonable officer to believe that the pants belonged to
Olson than to someone else. The majority then faults the officers for
removing the jeans from the backpack, which lead to the discovery of the
gun. After this discovery, and only then, was it reasonable to determine
the ownership of the backpack. It was not, as stated by the majority, to
clear up any ambiguity that officers reasonably had as to the ownership
of the backpack. Nothing in the record would have led a reasonable
officer to doubt that Olson owned the backpack or would have put in
doubt Olson’s ability to consent to its search.
The facts and circumstances here were not ambiguous. Nothing in
the record would put a reasonable officer on notice of any duty to make
additional inquiry as to who had the authority to consent to the search of
the closed backpack located in or around the closet of Olson’s bedroom.
There was repeated, unqualified consent to search authorized by Olson.
Olson clearly had the apparent authority to consent to the search of his
bedroom and the contents of his bedroom. Nothing in the record shows
any ambiguity in the facts requiring officers to inquire further as to the
ownership of the backpack. Consent here was valid and lawful under
the Fourth Amendment and supported by numerous authorities. See,
e.g., id. The district court was correct in denying the motion to suppress.
V. The Defendant’s Claim Under the Iowa Constitution.
Jackson also argues that the State violated his rights under article
I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Article I, section 8 of the Iowa
66
Constitution provides that “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable seizures and
searches shall not be violated.” Iowa Const. art. I, § 8. Because I would
conclude that there was no violation of the Fourth Amendment to the
Federal Constitution in the search conducted here, I also address
Jackson’s claim under the Iowa Constitution. See Pals, 805 N.W.2d at
772 (“When, as here, a defendant raises both federal and state
constitutional claims, the court has discretion to consider either claim
first or consider the claims simultaneously.”).
Jackson argues this court should adopt a more stringent standard
of actual authority under the Iowa Constitution than that provided by
the Federal Constitution. However, the State argues that Jackson’s
claim under the Iowa Constitution was not preserved because he did not
specifically argue that there should be a more stringent actual-authority
standard under the Iowa Constitution. Jackson argues that error is
preserved for appellate review when a defendant’s pretrial motion to
suppress is overruled. In the alternative, Jackson argues that, to the
extent error was not preserved, his counsel was ineffective for failing to
adequately argue for the adoption of an actual-authority standard under
the Iowa Constitution.
Jackson’s motion to suppress states that “the search and evidence
subsequently obtained violated the defendant’s rights under the 4th and
14th amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section
8 of the Iowa Constitution.” The motion to suppress does not argue for
any other specific application or interpretation of the Iowa Constitution
that would be different than under the United States Constitution.
Notably, Jackson’s motion to suppress did not specifically argue that the
standard for consent to a warrantless search under the Iowa
67
Constitution should be actual authority rather than the federal apparent-
authority standard. For purposes of this dissent, I assume without
deciding that error was preserved because I find Jackson’s claim that we
should adopt an actual-authority standard under the Iowa Constitution
to be without merit. See State v. McNeal, 867 N.W.2d 91, 99 (Iowa 2015).
1. Iowa law. Jackson argues that we should adopt a more
stringent standard under the Iowa Constitution than that afforded under
the United States Constitution and federal case law. He urges us to
adopt a standard that would require a third party to have actual
authority in order to consent to a search of a closed container.
Article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution is the “nearly identical
[provision] to the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
State v. Short, 851 N.W.2d 474, 500–01 (Iowa 2014) (discussing the
differences in punctuation between the state constitution and the Federal
Constitution and how members of this court have interpreted said
differences). It provides,
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers and effects, against unreasonable seizures and
searches shall not be violated; and no warrant shall issue
but on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons and things to be seized.
Iowa Const. art. I, § 8. Even when we hear “cases in which no
substantive distinction had been made between state and federal
constitutional provisions, we reserve the right to apply the principles
differently under the state constitution compared to its federal
counterpart.” King v. State, 797 N.W.2d 565, 571 (Iowa 2011). “Further,
even where a party has not advanced a different standard for interpreting
a state constitutional provision, we may apply the standard more
68
stringently than federal caselaw.” State v. Kooima, 833 N.W.2d 202, 206
(Iowa 2013). However,
our independent authority to construe the Iowa Constitution
does not mean that we generally refuse to follow the United
States Supreme Court decisions. . . . What is required under
the Iowa Constitution, in each and every case that comes
before us, is not mere identification of a potentially
analogous federal precedent, but exercise of our best,
independent judgment of the proper parameters of state
constitutional commands.
Short, 851 N.W.2d at 490.
Only a few states have chosen to require an actual-authority
standard under their own constitutions that is more stringent than the
federal apparent-authority standard. See State v. Lopez, 896 P.2d 889,
903 (Haw. 1995) (holding that the individual giving consent to a search
must possess actual authority to do so under the Hawaii Constitution);
State v. McLees, 994 P.2d 683, 691 (Mont. 2000) (finding that under the
Montana Constitution, “for third-party consent to be valid as against the
defendant, the consenting party must have actual authority to do so”);
State v. Will, 885 P.2d 715, 719 (Or. Ct. App. 1994) (finding that it was
consistent with the Oregon Supreme Court precedent to require actual
authority to consent to a search under the Oregon Constitution). Both
Hawaii and Montana, two states that have adopted this more stringent
standard, have a search and seizure provision in their state constitution
that specifically grants their citizens the right to privacy—a right not
contained in the Iowa search and seizure provision. Each of those cases
was decided under the concept of “invasions of privacy.” No comparable
provision is contained in the Iowa Constitution. Compare Haw. Const.
art. I, § 7, and Mont. Const. art. II, § 10, with Iowa Const. art. I, § 8.
Jackson also relies on the New Mexico case of State v. Wright for
the proposition that actual authority is required under the New Mexico
69
Constitution. See 893 P.2d 455, 460–61 (N.M. Ct. App. 1995). However,
the facts of that case are clearly distinguishable from the facts presented
here. In that case, officers went to a trailer after receiving a tip about
possible drug dealing activity. Id. at 457. They were met at the door by a
woman. Id. While there was some dispute in the record as to exactly
when the consent was given by the woman to look into the bedroom
occupied by the defendant, there is no dispute that prior to their entry
she told the officers, “Oh, it’s not my place, but go ahead.” Id. Officers
proceeded to open the door to the bedroom, where they discovered the
defendant and drug paraphernalia. Id. at 457–58. The State attempted
to argue the woman who answered the door had apparent authority to
consent to the search. Id. at 460. One of the officers testified that he did
not believe what the woman told him about the trailer not being hers. Id.
However, he also stated he thought that she might have been a
babysitter. Id. Relying on these facts, the State argued the officer
reasonably believed that she possessed common authority over the
premises. Id. 7 The court concluded that the State’s reliance on the
officers’ subjective belief the woman had apparent authority to consent to
the search of the residence and bedroom occupied by the defendant ran
counter to the provisions of article II, section 10 of the New Mexico
Constitution. Id. at 460–61. 8
7I note that our case does not involve a claim of common authority, which also
distinguishes this case.
8Article II, section 10 of the New Mexico Constitution provides,
The people shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes and effects,
from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to search any
place, or seize any person or thing, shall issue without describing the
place to be searched, or the persons or things to be seized, nor without a
written showing of probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.
N.M. Const. art. II, § 10.
70
I agree with this resolution and would have reached the same
result under our own Constitution. But the facts in Wright are a far cry
from the facts in our case and warrant a different conclusion. New
Mexico accepts the minority approach under its own constitution. Id.
Consent to conduct a search may also be given by someone who is
clothed with common authority or possesses some other sufficient
relationship concerning the premises in question. Id. at 461. In Wright,
the problem was there were no additional facts that indicated the woman
granting the consent had a “sufficient relationship to the premises,” and
therefore, it was unreasonable for the officers to rely on her consent. Id.
(quoting United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 94 S. Ct. 988, 993,
39 L. Ed. 2d 242, 250 (1974)). I suggest that, given the facts of our case,
and even utilizing the standards adopted by the New Mexico court, that
court would have had no problem with the consent provided by Olson.
Jackson argues that Oregon has also rejected the concept of
apparent authority to the consent to a search. The Oregon Court of
Appeals rejected the concept of apparent authority but stated actual
authority is still required under the state constitution. Will, 885 P.2d at
719. The Oregon courts have stated that, “[b]efore police can enter or
search without a warrant in reliance on third-party consent, they must
inquire and ascertain whether the consenting party has common
authority; they cannot rely on subjective good faith.” Id. at 719–20. This
approach is inapplicable to the facts of our case, and we have never
adopted it. The Oregon case Jackson relies on deals with a minor’s
authority to consent to the search of a parent’s home, a situation entirely
different than the one we decide today. Id. at 720.
However, the vast majority of states continue to apply the federal
apparent-authority standard for third-party consent to a search, and
71
many have done so under their own state constitutions. See Nix v. State,
621 P.2d 1347, 1349 (Alaska 1981); State v. Girdler, 675 P.2d 1301,
1305 (Ariz. 1983) (en banc); Bruce v. State, 241 S.W.3d 728, 731 (Ark.
2006); Petersen v. People, 939 P.2d 824, 831 (Colo. 1997) (en banc); State
v. Buie, 94 A.3d 608, 609 (Conn. 2014) (per curiam); Westlake, 353 P.3d
at 441; People v. Pitman, 813 N.E.2d 93, 107 (Ill. 2004); State v. Porting,
130 P.3d 1173, 1178–79 (Kan. 2006); Commonwealth v. Nourse, 177
S.W.3d 691, 696 (Ky. 2005); Commonwealth v. Porter P., 923 N.E.2d 36,
52 (Mass. 2010); State v. Taylor, 968 P.2d 315, 322 (Nev. 1998) (per
curiam); State v. Maristany, 627 A.2d 1066, 1069 (N.J. 1993); State v.
Gatlin, 851 N.W.2d 178, 183 (N.D. 2014); State v. Linde, 876 A.2d 1115,
1125 (R.I. 2005); State v. Laux, 544 S.E.2d 276, 277–78 (S.C. 2001);
Glenn v. Commonwealth, 654 S.E.2d 910, 915 (Va. 2008); State v.
Tomlinson, 648 N.W.2d 367, 375 (Wis. 2002); Smallfoot v. State, 272 P.3d
314, 318 (Wyo. 2012).
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that it is not
inconsistent with the Pennsylvania Constitution to only require apparent
authority for a third party to consent to a search. Commonwealth v.
Hughes, 836 A.2d 893, 902–03 (Pa. 2003). Unlike the Hawaii and
Montana constitutional provisions noted above, Pennsylvania’s
constitutional provision on search and seizure does not include a right to
privacy. Compare Haw. Const. art. I, § 7, and Mont. Const. art. II, § 10,
with Pa. Const. art. I, § 8. Rather, Pennsylvania’s search and seizure
provision is more similar in content to our own search and seizure
provision. Compare Pa. Const. art. I, § 8, with Iowa Const. art. I, § 8. 9
9The Pennsylvania searches and seizures provision reads:
The people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and
possessions from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to
72
I agree with the states that continue to apply the apparent
authority doctrine for third-party consent to a search, which is
consistent with its federal constitutional counterpart. I would not find
that the Iowa Constitution should be applied more stringently, as none of
the authorities cited by Jackson are similar. Nor are Jackson’s
authorities persuasive enough to urge the court to hold that this state
should diverge from the well-established precedent under the Federal
Constitution. See State v. Jorgensen, 785 N.W.2d 708, 713 (Iowa 2009)
(noting that even when a party does advance a standard for interpreting
the Iowa Constitution differently, we may still interpret it using the
federal analysis if we find that the defendant did not offer “sound
reasons” for the distinction).
VI. Conclusion.
For all of the reasons set forth above, I would find that it was
reasonable for the officers to conclude that Olson had the apparent
authority to consent to the search of the bedroom and the backpack
under the federal constitution. I would decline to adopt an actual-
authority standard under the Iowa Constitution as urged by Jackson. I
would affirm the decision of the court of appeals, the district court ruling
on the motion to suppress, and Jackson’s convictions.
Waterman and Mansfield, JJ., join this dissent.
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search any place or to seize any person or things shall issue without
describing them as nearly as may be, nor without probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation subscribed to by the affiant.
Pa. Const. art. I, § 8.