Law for Business 10th Edition by James Barnes,Terry Dworkin,Eric Richards

Exercise 1

The car Houghton was riding in was stopped by an officer for speeding and driving with a faulty brake light. The officer noticed that the driver had a hypodermic syringe in his pocket and asked him about it. The driver said he used it to take drugs. The officer then searched the car for contraband, and during the search found Houghton's purse on the back seat. Inside the purse was a wallet and a pouch, and inside each was drug paraphernalia and illegal drugs. Houghton, who was charged with a felony drug offense, argued the warrantless search of her purse violated her Fourth Amendment rights. Is she correct?