Skip to main content
SCOTUS Case

National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab

Primary source

Background below is sourced from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). We link back to the source for attribution; edits made by Wikipedia editors after our last scrape may not appear here.

Background

National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab

National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab, 489 U.S. 656 (1989), was a United States Supreme Court case involving the Fourth Amendment and its implication on drug testing programs. The majority of the Court upheld the drug testing program in the United States Customs Service .

Contents

Background

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Treasury_Employees_Union_v._Von_Raab&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Background")

In 1986, the U.S. Customs Service imposed a drug testing program for "employees seeking transfer or promotion to positions having direct involvement in drug interdiction ," required to carry firearms , or have access to classified information. The National Treasury Employees Union sued and alleged that the program was violative of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure . The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of the government. The union then appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals ruling with regard to positions involving drug interdiction and firearms. The ruling for classified information was held over, as the Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Customs Service too broadly included employee groups who would not generally have access to high levels of classified information.

Opinion of the Court

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Treasury_Employees_Union_v._Von_Raab&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Opinion of the Court")

The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals ruling with regard to positions involving drug interdiction and firearms. The ruling for classified information was held over, as the Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Customs Service too broadly included employee groups who would not generally have access to high levels of classified information.

The majority decision authored by Justice Kennedy upheld the constitutionality of the drug testing program, reasoning that Customs employees had a "diminished expectation of privacy." Justice Marshall wrote a dissent in which he was joined by Justice Brennan ; Justice Scalia wrote a dissent in which Justice Stevens joined.

See also

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Treasury_Employees_Union_v._Von_Raab&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: See also")

External links

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Treasury_Employees_Union_v._Von_Raab&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: External links")

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Treasury_Employees_Union_v._Von_Raab&oldid=1351327695 "

Read the full Wikipedia article

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.