What case law was established with Whren v. U.S.?

The case of Whren v. U.S. is significant because it upheld the constitutionality of pretextual traffic stops. The Supreme Court ruled that as long as an officer has probable cause to make a traffic stop for a legitimate violation (such as speeding or a broken taillight), the officer can conduct the stop even if the underlying motivation for doing so might be to investigate other suspicious behavior or a different potential criminal activity. This means that law enforcement can effectively use traffic violations as a legal basis to pull over a vehicle, even if the stop is also motivated by a desire to address other concerns that may not be directly related to the observed traffic infraction.

This ruling does not endorse racial profiling; rather, it clarifies that the legality of a stop is based on observable violations regardless of the officer's intent or motives beyond that observed violation. Therefore, the ruling supports the idea that legitimate traffic violations, when witnessed, serve as valid grounds for law enforcement action.