Bob CollinsThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was short and to the point in ruling this week that giving the finger to a cop is free speech and you can’t be pulled over for doing so. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Tag: Fourth Amendment
There’s nothing wrong with nabbing drug traffickers through probable cause, of course, but the cases highlight how easy it is to obtain it when an officer is looking for a reason to pull someone over who doesn’t look quite right. Sometimes the police are right; sometimes they’re not. Read more →
The Minnesota Court of Appeals this week struck a blow for drivers with cracked windshields. Read more →
If ever there was a slam-dunk case in which the 4th Amendment was clearly violated, it was the mass arrest and handcuffing of a group of middle school girls in San Bernardino, Calif., in 2013. For some reason the school board has continued to defend it and the sheriff’s deputy. Today, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals smacked it down again, just as a lower court had. Read more →
Last September, the appeals court overturned the firearms and drug
convictions of suspected drug dealer Cortney John Edstrom, saying if a court ruled a drug sniffing dog outside an apartment isn’t an invasion of privacy, the Fourth Amendment would be of little use to apartment dwellers.
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It’s a fair bet that the U.S. Supreme Court will have to decide a key constitutional question from Wisconsin at some point: What part of “you need a warrant” don’t you get, Wisconsin?
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A divided Minnesota Supreme Court today further defined the areas of people’s property where police can’t search without a warrant.
It’s a fascinating case which goes to great lengths to define what area of someone’s property is protected by the Fourth Amendment and what area is fair game for a search by police without a warrant. Read more →
The Minnesota Court of Appeals today threw out the conviction of a Brooklyn Park man, arrested on drug charges, because police violated his right to privacy when using a drug-sniffing dog to sniff outside his apartment door.
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Using Google today? The cops may be watching. Read more →
What amendment to the U.S. Constitution is treated most cavalierly?
There’s an argument to be made that it’s the Fourth Amendment. Read more →
In upholding a lower court ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court said the woman, who was suspected of possessing meth, had no expectation of privacy when visiting another home.
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The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that a search warrant that allows police to test the blood alcohol content of a suspected drunken driver can also target the use of drugs, even if there’s no probable cause to suspect drug use. Read more →
Monday’s Supreme Court decision basically allows evidence in an illegal search to be used against you. It hasn’t attracted much attention but that’s the nature of how constitutional rights disappear. Read more →