In the United States v. Edwards et al., 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement officers have a right to search and seize evidence from an arrested individual's person even after they are incarcerated. The case involved William Edwards who was arrested for attempting to break into a post office. After being held overnight in jail, his clothes were taken by police as evidence without obtaining a warrant because they believed it contained paint chips matching those found at the crime scene. Edwards argued this violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures since he was already in custody when his clothing was seized without a warrant or consent. The court disagreed with him, stating that once an individual is legally arrested for a crime, their expectation of privacy is significantly reduced and any immediate belongings can be searched and seized if believed to contain evidence related to the alleged crime - regardless of whether they're still wearing them or not at time of seizure.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Edwards et al., Justice Marshall argued that the majority's decision to allow warrantless searches of a person's clothing while in police custody violated Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. He contended that there was no pressing need or exigency justifying such an intrusion without a warrant, especially when considering the time elapsed between arrest and search. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority’s view on "immediately following arrest" as it allowed too much discretion to law enforcement officers about when they could conduct these types of searches. Justice Marshall also expressed concern over potential abuses by law enforcement if given this unchecked power, which would further erode citizens' constitutional rights.