The majority, led by Justice Stewart, held that a search of the area “within [Chimel’s] immediate control” would have been reasonable to protect the officers, but the search of his entire home without a search warrant was constitutionally unjustifiable.
Dissenting Opinions: The dissent was led by Justice White, who was joined by Justice Black. The two stated that, although the police did not obtain a search warrant, they had probable cause to search Chimel’s house because he had “obliquely admitted, both to a neighbor and to the owner of the burglarized store, that he had committed the burglary”. Because these Justices were sure that a search warrant would have been granted under the circumstances, they believed that the search was reasonable under the