Supreme Court of California

A peace officer may, for Fourth Amendment purposes, order a traffic stop to investigate possible Vehicle Code violations when a vehicle's front license plate is missing and the registration tabs on the rear license plate have expired but the vehicle's rear window displays what appears to be a current temporary operating permit, at least when the officer has no other ready means of verifying the vehicle's compliance with the law.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/29/2006
• Published 06/29/2006

Judges

• BAXTER, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• George O. Benton, Santa Rosa, under appointment by the Supreme Court, for Defendant and Appellant., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Robert R. Anderson, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Assistant Attorney General, Martin S. Kaye and Ronald E. Niver, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.