Riverside County v. McLaughlin

Case Date: 01/07/1991
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

McLaughlin was arrested without a warrant and argued that Riverside did not act promptly (within 48 hours) on judicial probable cause determinations and arraignment procedures in his case and others.

Question 

Did Riverside violate the Court's holding in Gerstein v. Pugh (420 U.S. 103), which required prompt probable cause determinations?

Argument Riverside County v. McLaughlin - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3Riverside County v. McLaughlin - Opinion AnnouncementFull Transcript Text  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 5 votes for Riverside County, 4 vote(s) against Legal provision: Article 3, Section 2, Paragraph 1: Case or Controversy Requirement

The Court held that Riverside's actions did not comply with the Gerstein precedent. Justice O'Connor argued that it was the state's burden to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances when delaying probable cause determinations beyond 48 hours. The lower court in this case had placed that responsibility on the accused. Intervening weekends or complicated pretrial proceedings were not legitimate reasons for delay.