Which case supports consensual encounters and the freedom to walk away?

• A. Carroll v United States
• B. Florida v. Royer
• C. Brinegar v United States
• D. Terry v Ohio

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that a consensual police encounter is one in which the person feels free to decline or end the interaction and walk away at any moment. The dividing line is whether a reasonable person would feel free to leave.

Florida v. Royer focuses on this boundary by examining whether Royer was free to walk away during the airport interaction. The Court concluded that Royer was not free to leave, so the encounter amounted to a seizure rather than a voluntary, consensual conversation. This case highlights the crucial point: when freedom to walk away is present, the encounter is more likely to be considered consensual; when that freedom is denied, it is not.

In that sense, this case is the strongest reminder among the listed options of why the ability to walk away matters for determining whether an encounter is consensual.