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Name: United States v. Garcia-Beltran
Case #: 03-30162
Court: US Court of Appeals
District 9 Cir
Opinion Date: 11/18/2004
Summary

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.