Code of Criminal Procedure · U.S. Supreme Court, 2000
Florida v. J.L.
Florida v. J.L. is a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision. This page summarizes key points and works through practice questions for Texas peace officer exam preparation.
Key points
- Anonymous tip alone insufficient
- Indicia of reliability required
- Corroboration of predictive details, or observed suspicious conduct
- Then articulable reasonable suspicion supports stop and frisk
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Worked examples
Worked example 1
SCENARIO. Officers receive an anonymous 911 tip that a man in a red shirt at a specific intersection has a gun in his waistband. They arrive and see a man matching the description. May they conduct a Terry frisk based on the tip alone?
- Yes — any tip is sufficient for a frisk
- No — an anonymous tip standing alone, without indicia of reliability or corroboration of facts predicting future behavior, generally does not supply reasonable suspicion (Florida v. J.L.) Correct
- Yes — once description is verified
- Yes — guns are presumed dangerous
Why: An anonymous tip about a person carrying a gun, without more, does not justify a Terry stop and frisk. Officers need additional indicia of reliability — corroboration of predictive details, observed conduct, etc.
Statute: Florida v. J.L., 529 U.S. 266 (2000)