Supreme Court Cases

In Prado Navarette v. California[1], the United States Supreme Court held that an anonymous 911 call (alleging specific reckless driving behavior), which resulted in the caller’s car being run off the road, gave officers reasonable suspicion of drunk driving. This, then, justified the traffic stop of that vehicle, and the arrest of the occupants for transporting marijuana. The vote was a 5-4 split. On […]

Last week, the United States Supreme issued a decision in Fernandez v. California[1] clarifying an earlier decision in Georgia v. Randolph, 547 U.S. 103 (2006), which held that when multiple individuals reside at a premises, if a physically present individual objects to a warrantless search of the residence, the police may not search the residence even if another occupant consents to the search. The

 Attorney Karen J. Kruger The United States Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the State of Maryland in its opinion in Maryland v. King, a case that evaluated the constitutionality of the taking of a DNA sample from a person arrested, but not yet convicted of a serious crime. In the case before the Court, a 53-year-old woman was raped and robbed in

Florida v. Harris On February 19, 2013, the United States Supreme Court came down with its second decision issued on the same day involving the procedures and practices of law enforcement. This decision, however, is definitely one for the law enforcement “win column.” In fact, law enforcement drug detection dog handlers might want to consider throwing the United States Supreme Court a treat for

The Supreme Court had more than its share of surprising opinions and unexpected rulings this year. During the term the justices ruled for criminal defendants in some of most important cases on crime and punishment. While that alone is a rarity for a court that routinely leans to the right, it should be a sign to law enforcement as to the future rulings of