In a 4-2 vote, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that law enforcement may perform warrantless searches of motor vehicles without the existence of exigent circumstances. Now, the only prerequisite for a warrantless vehicle search is the existence of probable cause to search. Previously, there had to be both probable cause and exigent circumstances in order for law enforcement to perform such a search. With this decision, the Court has removed the additional privacy protection against unreasonable searches and seizures previously afforded to Pennsylvanians and has aligned the Commonwealth’s law with current federal law.
