Sibron v. New York/Concurrence Fortas

Mr. Justice FORTAS, concurring.

1. I would construe St. Pierre v. United States, 319 U.S. 41, 63 S.Ct. 910, 87 L.Ed. 1199 (1943), in light of later cases, to mean that a criminal case is moot if it appears that no collateral legal consequences will be imposed on the basis of the challenged conviction. (Cf. majority opinion, ante, at 58-59.)

2. I join without qualification in the Court's judgment and opinion concerning the standards to be used in determining whether § 180-a as applied to particular situations is constitutional. But I would explicitly reserve the possibility that a statute purporting to authorize a warrantless search might be so extreme as to justify our concluding that it is unconstitutional 'on its face,' regardless of the facts of the particular case. To the extent that the Court's opinion may indicate the contrary, I disagree. (Cf. majority opinion, ante, at 59-62.)

3. In Sibron's case (No. 63), I would conclude that we find nothing in the record of this case or pertinent principles of law to cause us to disregard the confession of error by counsel for Kings County. I would not discourage confessions of error nor would I disregard them. (Cf. majority opinion, pt. II, ante, at 1900.)