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United States v. Mara/Separate Brennan

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United States v. Mara (1973)
by William J. Brennan
Separate Opinion
4724935United States v. Mara — Separate Opinion1973William J. Brennan
Court Documents
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Opinion of the Court
Dissenting Opinions
Douglas
Marshall
Separate Opinion
Brennan

[p22] MR. JUSTICE BRENNAN, concurring in part and dissenting in part in No. 71-229, ante, p. 1, and dissenting in No. 71-850.


I agree, for the reasons stated by the Court, that respondent Dionisio's Fifth Amendment claims are without merit. I dissent, however, from the Court's rejection [p23] of the Fourth Amendment claims of Dionisio and Mara as also without merit. I agree that no unreasonable seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment is effected by a grand jury subpoena limited to requiring the appearance of a suspect to testify. But insofar as the subpoena requires a suspect's appearance in order to obtain voice or handwriting exemplars from him, I conclude, substantially in agreement with Part II of my Brother MARSHALL's dissent, that the reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment of such a seizure cannot simply be presumed. I would therefore affirm the judgments of the Court of Appeals reversing the contempt convictions and remand with directions to the District Court to afford the Government the opportunity to prove reasonableness under the standard fashioned by the Court of Appeals.