Legal Opinion
Commonwealth v. Govens
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Decided October 28, 1993No. 2291PublishedCited by 55 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
WIEAND, Judge.
Where an illegal sale of cocaine through a hole or opening in an apartment door is made in the presence of a police officer, may the police enter the apartment without a warrant for the purpose of identifying and arresting the seller? This is the principal issue which we are called upon to decide in this appeal by James Govens following his conviction for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence.1
I. Factual History
At the pre-trial suppression hearing in this case, Philadelphia Police Officers William Brunswick and Virginia Pagano testified…
2Cases cited133 opinions
- Katz v. United StatesSupreme Court of the United States · 1967
- Coolidge v. New HampshireSupreme Court of the United States · 1971
- Hudson v. PalmerSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Payton v. New YorkSupreme Court of the United States · 1980
- Rakas v. IllinoisSupreme Court of the United States · 1979
128 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by55 opinions
- State v. MajorsTennessee Supreme Court · 2010
- Commonwealth v. MillnerSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 2005
- Commonwealth v. BostickSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 2008
- Commonwealth v. DommelSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 2005
- Commonwealth v. PowellSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 2010
50 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.