Should Governments Need a Warrant To Spy on You With a Drone?
The Michigan Supreme Court will hear opening arguments today in a case that could decide whether the practice is allowed.
Fourth Amendment
Minnesota's Top Court Rebukes Cops Who Searched a Car After Claiming To Smell Pot That Wasn't There
In light of the state's marijuana reforms, the court says, the odor of weed is not enough to establish probable cause.
Sex Crime Victim Denied $69,000 Settlement Because Cops Seized Her Abuser's Cash Through Civil Forfeiture
The outrageous case has led to calls from Congress to pass legislation curbing civil asset forfeiture.
Weed Is Legal in Illinois. Police Searched His Car Anyway.
An officer conducted the search of Prentiss Jackson's vehicle after claiming he could smell "a little bit of weed." It ultimately resulted in a lengthy prison term.
Alabama Cops Who Arrested Mechanic for Not Giving Them His ID Denied Qualified Immunity
"The police are free to ask questions, and the public is free to ignore them," wrote a federal judge.
On Guns, Drugs, and National Security, Dianne Feinstein Was Consistently Authoritarian
The late California senator always seemed to err on the side of more government power and less individual freedom.
Tony Timpa Wrongful Death Trial Ends With 2 Out of 3 Cops Getting Qualified Immunity
The trial—and, in some sense, Timpa's life—was about transparency.
How Hippies Saved the Fourth Amendment
The Nixon administration did everything it could to curb antiwar activism. Then the courts said it had gone too far.
Arbitrary Rental Inspections Violate Search and Seizure Protections, Says Iowa Court
Warrantless home invasions are intrusive and dangerous for those on the receiving end.
A Ruling Against a Man Arrested for a COVID-19 Joke Highlights the Influence of a Pernicious Analogy
A federal judge compared Waylon Bailey’s Facebook jest to "falsely shouting fire in a theatre."
'No Reasonable Officer' Would Have Arrested a Guy for a COVID-19 Joke, the 5th Circuit Says
The appeals court ruled that a Facebook post alluding to World War Z was clearly protected by the First Amendment.
Is Tou Thao More Culpable Than the Other Cops Who Helped Derek Chauvin Kill George Floyd?
The former Minneapolis officer's 57-month sentence is based largely on the premise that he was "in the best position" to save Floyd.
FBI Made 'Inappropriate Use' of Foreign Surveillance Program To Spy on Americans
A White House panel says the FBI's internal control over Section 702 databases are "insufficient to ensure compliance and earn the public's trust."
Dallas Law Against 'Manifesting' Prostitution Declared Unconstitutional
Plus: The right to call neighbor a "red-headed bitch," the case against a Digital Consumer Protection Commission, and more...
Kansas Cops Have 'Waged War on Motorists' by Subjecting Them to Pretextual Traffic Stops, a Federal Judge Says
The ruling draws back the veil on routine police practices that victimize innocent drivers.
He Caught a Burglar in the Act. But When Police Came, He Says They Tased Him Instead of the Intruder.
Damien Smith claims in a new lawsuit that police racially profiled him and violated his First, Fourth, and 14th Amendment rights.
Homeless Veteran Sues Police After Service Dog Tased During Panhandling Arrest
Joshua Rohrer not only seeks damages for his violent arrest but also wants the city's anti-panhandling ordinance overturned on First Amendment grounds.
David Sosa Says Mistakenly Arresting Him Twice Based on His Name Violated His Rights. Other David Sosas Agree.
The 11th Circuit rejected Sosa's constitutional claims, and he is asking the Supreme Court to intervene.
We Still Don't Know the Full Extent of the Government's Warrantless Electronic Spying Program
The reauthorization of Section 702 is one of the most important issues facing Congress in the second half of this year.
Biden's Flip-Flop on Warrantless Surveillance
Plus: Montanans challenge ban on drag story hour, Arizona approves birth control without a prescription, and more...
Chicago Police Raided at Least 21 Wrong Houses
But poor record keeping hides the real number.
Police Let Their K-9 Maul on the Wrong Guy. They Arrested Him Anyway.
The city says the man's injuries were "caused solely as a result of his own acts or omissions."
Justice Department Finds 'Deeply Disturbing' and Illegal Policing in Minneapolis
Minneapolis police used gratuitous force, discriminated against black and Native American residents, and retaliated against people exercising their First Amendment rights.
Feds May Need Warrants To Search Cell Phones at the Border After All
Snooping through emails, video, and photos isn’t the same as stumbling on containers full of cocaine.
Virginia Wildlife Agents Came Onto His Land and Stole His Camera. Now He's Suing.
Eight weeks ago, a camouflaged game warden came onto Josh Highlander's land, scared his son, and stole his trail camera.
An Un-Bearable Fourth Amendment/Property Rights Case
A Connecticut case raises the issue of whether a government agency violated the Fourth Amendment by attaching a camera to a bear known to frequent the plaintiffs' property. While the facts may seem silly, the case does raise some serious issues.
A Connecticut Couple Challenges Warrantless Surveillance of Their Property by Camera-Carrying Bears
The lawsuit looks iffy in light of the Supreme Court's "open fields" doctrine.
Michigan Supreme Court To Decide If Government Can Warrantlessly Spy on You With Drones
The state court of appeals held previously that unconstitutionally collected evidence could still be used for civil enforcement.
Even After Legalization, Maryland Cops Wanted to Search People Based on the Odor of Pot. Legislators Said No.
Police have a long history of using the real or imagined smell of marijuana to justify outrageous invasions.
Texas House Overwhelmingly Approves Restrictions on No-Knock Warrants
Conservatives who support the bill recognize the conflict between unannounced home invasions and the Second Amendment.
The Louisville Cop Who Killed Breonna Taylor Has a New Law Enforcement Gig
Myles Cosgrove never faced criminal charges in connection with Taylor's death, but he was fired for his reckless use of deadly force.
Idaho Supreme Court Rules Fourth Amendment Violated When Drug-Sniffing Dog "Intermeddled" With Defendant's Car
Nero the police dog put his paws on the side of the car, which qualifies as a trespass, and thereby also a "search" under the Fourth Amendment.
Louisville Police Abuses Show Civil Liberties Are Meaningless Without Accountability
Supervisors and judges tolerated outrageous constitutional violations, including illegal searches and brutal assaults.
The Drug Exception to the Second Amendment
Conservatives have been slow to recognize the threat that drug prohibition poses to gun rights and other civil liberties.
A Police Officer Shot and Killed a 17-Year-Old Boy as He Fled. Now, His Mother Is Suing.
"I hurt every day," said the victim's mother. "I cry all day, every day."
Charter Boat Captains Don't Have To Share Their Location Data With the Government, Court Rules
Plus: More lawmakers move to decriminalize psychedelic plants, Tennessee's "adult cabaret" law, and more...
Ohio Woman Says Cops Broke Her Wrist for Recording During Traffic Stop
"The Officers' actions were unreasonable, deliberately indifferent, reckless, willful, wanton, and shocking to the conscience," a new legal complaint states.
Waco Offers New Insights From ATF Agents
Historian Jeff Guinn's account focuses on the ATF's oft-overlooked fiasco in the 1993 affair rather than the FBI's widely reported involvement.
The Feds Are Buying Their Way Around the 4th Amendment
Government agencies have paid to access huge amounts of Americans' data.
Detroit Woman Sues City After Police Officers Shot Her Dog and Left It in a Trash Can
Tiffany Lindsay says officers never contacted her to let her know they shot her dog. Instead, a neighbor found it in their trash can.
Police Officer Who Kneeled on a 12-Year-Old Girl's Neck Faces a Federal Lawsuit
According to the suit, the officer "acted with malice or in reckless disregard of Jane Doe's federally protected rights."
A Galveston SWAT Team Wrecked an Innocent Family's Home. Then They Kept It From the City.
Police went silent on city officials following the botched raid that caused $5,000 in damages.
Illinois Town Will Pay $12 Million to Family After SWAT Officer Shot 12-Year-Old in Kneecap
According to a lawsuit, Amir Worship was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands raised when an officer shot him, shattering his kneecap.
Why Did Other Cops Fail To Stop the Lethal Assault on Tyre Nichols?
"Active bystandership" training aims to overcome the pressures that discourage police officers from intervening when their colleagues use excessive force.
A Politically Split Congress Can Perhaps Fuel Federal Surveillance Reforms
Part of a law that authorizes warrantless snooping is about to expire, opening up a opportunity to better protect our privacy rights.
Illinois City Agrees To Stop Fining People for Resisting Warrantless Home Inspections
Zion’s attempts to push out unwanted renters collides with Fourth Amendment protections.
Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Future of Progressive Originalism
The liberal justice seems ready to fight legal conservatives on their own ground.
