White v. Davis
California Supreme Court
533 P.2d 222 (1975)
Facts
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began conducting surveillance on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Members of the LAPD, working as undercover officers, registered as students at UCLA, attended classes and meetings of UCLA student organizations, and created reports based on the discussions in those classes and meetings. There was no particular crime or illegal activity being investigated. White (plaintiff) was a professor at UCLA and a taxpayer within the City of Los Angeles. White filed an illegal-exaction lawsuit against Davis (defendant), the Chief of Police for the LAPD, seeking to enjoin the use of public funds for the alleged unconstitutional surveillance on the UCLA campus. White alleged that using public funds for such surveillance was illegal because the surveillance inhibited the exercise of freedom of speech and assembly within classrooms and organizational meetings. The trial court sustained Davis’s demurrer and dismissed the case. White appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Tobriner, J.)
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