Consent to search one's person includes containers such as a purse or bag held by that person. This principle is established by which case?

• A. Edwards v. Commonwealth
• B. Katz v. United States
• C. Mapp v. Ohio
• D. Duncan v. Louisiana

Answer: (A)

Consent to search one’s person includes the items a person is carrying. This is about how far a voluntary search can extend when someone agrees to be searched. Edwards v. Commonwealth supports the idea that when a person consents to a search of themselves, the authority to search extends to containers in their possession, such as a purse or bag, because those belongings are under the person’s control and could reasonably hold the items police are seeking. That makes it the best answer here, since it directly addresses the scope of consent to include personal containers.

The other cases don’t address this specific point. Katz v. United States deals with privacy expectations under the Fourth Amendment, Mapp v. Ohio concerns the exclusionary rule applying to state prosecutions, and Duncan v. Louisiana concerns the right to a jury trial.