Which 2004 US Supreme Court case allowed states to criminalize the refusal of a lawfully-detained person to identify themselves?

The case that allowed states to criminalize a lawfully-detained person's refusal to identify themselves is Hiibel v. Nevada. In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld a Nevada statute that requires individuals who are lawfully detained by police to disclose their identity. The court ruled that this requirement does not violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, because the act of requiring identification during a lawful stop is a reasonable demand by the officer to obtain basic information necessary for the investigation at hand.

This ruling is significant as it balances the state's interest in maintaining law enforcement efficacy against individual privacy rights. By recognizing the authority of police to request identification during a detention, the Court affirmed that such interactions, when conducted lawfully, do not infringe on constitutional protections. This precedent supports a framework where officers can effectively perform their duties while ensuring that citizens are treated fairly during encounters.