A court should consider a motion to suppress fingerprints if the fingerprints are obtained for an investigatory purpose rather than simply for identification purposes. The district court here declined to consider a motion to suppress evidence under the Fourth Amendment, finding that fingerprint evidence was not properly subject to a motion to suppress. The Ninth Circuit held that where fingerprint evidence is used to connect a defendant to a particular offense, rather than simply to identify him, such evidence may require suppression if it is obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Case Summaries