Michael Bloomberg's Convenient 'Stop and Frisk' Conversion Is Transparently Insincere
The former New York mayor wants us to believe he suddenly realized a program he defended for 17 years was unfair and unconstitutional.
Search and Seizure
Judge Rules Feds Need Reasonable Suspicion Before Searching Tech Devices at the Border
Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless searches are reduced when entering the country, but they’re not completely erased.
Dallas Transit Agency Pays $345,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures
DART police officer Stephanie Branch illegally arrested Avi Adelman after he defied her unlawful orders to stop photographing paramedics treating an overdose.
Louisville SWAT Team Looking for Pot Needlessly Terrorizes Family, Thanks to a False Tip, a Cursory Investigation, and a Detective's Nose
The cop claimed to detect "a strong smell of fresh marijuana coming from within the house," but police did not find any.
Victims of Marijuana Raid Based on Tea in Their Trash Get Another Chance to Hold Cops Responsible
The 10th Circuit says Adlynn and Robert Harte should be allowed to pursue three federal claims against comically inept Kansas sheriff's deputies.
Cops Don't Need Another Excuse To Hassle Innocent Drivers
The Supreme Court should not let police stop cars solely because they’re registered to people with suspended licenses.
The Attorney General Is Determined to Undermine Your Privacy
The encryption limits that the Justice Department demands in the name of security would make all of us less secure.
Sandy Hook Promise Ad Hypes the Danger of School Shootings, Fostering Irrational Fears and Bad Policies
Official responses to these extremely rare crimes are grossly disproportionate in light of the risk they actually pose.
Houston's Police Chief Insists That Cops Who Executed a Deadly Drug Raid Based on Lies 'Had Probable Cause to Be There'
Although the warrant was based on a heroin purchase that never happened, Art Acevedo says, there was other, unmentioned evidence that would have justified a search.
Houston Police Union Finally Stops Backing Cop Who Instigated a Deadly Drug Raid With a Phony Affidavit
The Houston Police Officers' Union is no longer covering the legal fees of Gerald Goines, who faces two murder charges.
'I Still Think They're Heroes,' Houston's Police Chief Says of the Cops Who Killed a Couple During a Fraudulent Drug Raid
While the narcotics officers charged with murder and evidence tampering were bad eggs, Art Acevedo says, their colleagues acted "in good faith."
Houston Narcotics Cop Who Instigated a Deadly Drug Raid Is Charged With Murder
Gerald Goines justified the raid, which killed a middle-aged couple, based on a heroin purchase that apparently never happened.
No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
Only three states require police to obtain a warrant before requesting private user data from companies.
When Is Violating the Constitution by Pulling Over Motorists With No Legal Justification 'Not a Bad Thing'?
When the cops just want to reward you for "good driving behavior" by giving you a drink coupon, according to a Phoenix TV station.
'No One Will Hurt You,' a SWAT Officer Promised an Hour After Houston Cops Killed a Couple Falsely Accused of Selling Heroin
Evidence from the scene of the disastrous raid seems to contradict the official account.
John Paul Stevens Was a 'Liberal Champion,' Except When He Wasn't
The late Supreme Court justice was an inconsistent defender of civil liberties.
The FBI Hopes These Cute Puppies Will Distract You From Unconstitutional Civil Asset Forfeitures
Surrender the Fifth Amendment or the dog dies.
The Costs of Monitoring Your Prescriptions
State databases that track the medications we take invade our privacy without reducing opioid-related deaths.
New Hampshire Resists the DEA's Demands for Warrantless Access to Patients' Prescription Records
An ACLU brief bolsters the state's case, arguing that people reasonably expect information about the medications they take will be kept confidential.
Double Standards Endanger Press Freedom
The treatment of Bryan Carmody and Julian Assange reveals widespread confusion about who counts as a journalist and whether it matters.
A Sniff by a Pot-Detecting Dog Requires Probable Cause and Does Not Justify a Search, Says Colorado Supreme Court
Marijuana legalization changes the constitutional status of canine olfactory inspections.
In Deadly Drug Raid Case, a Texas County Refuses to Release Information It Has Already Released
Contradictory responses to a request for autopsy reports illustrate how law enforcement agencies take advantage of a broad exception to the state's public records law.
Forensic Experts Find 'No Evidence' That Houston Narcs Who Killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas Encountered Gunfire As They Entered the House
The physical evidence at the scene seems inconsistent with the story told by the officers who conducted the no-knock drug raid.
Houston Police Shot Man Killed in Fraudulent Drug Raid at Least Eight Times
Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, who was shot twice, were pronounced dead shortly after police invaded their home based on a "controlled buy" that never happened.
Texas Cops Arrest About 45,000 Drivers a Year for Minor Traffic Offenses
A new report finds that such arrests are most common in Waco, while resulting injuries are most common in Houston.
Houston Narcs Implicated in Deadly Drug Raid Will Soon Be Collecting Pensions
The officer accused of falsifying the no-knock warrant for the home invasion that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas retired last Friday.
Going to Burning Man? The Feds Want You Searched for Drugs
Can the government demand a warrantless search with no probable cause of ticket holders as a condition of issuing an event permit?
After Deadly Drug Raid on His Watch, Houston's Top Cop Lists Reforms, Praises Himself
Art Acevedo plans to limit no-knock raids and give narcotics officers body cameras but wants credit for not covering up a cop's search warrant lies.
Phony Houston Drug Warrant Prompts FBI Investigation and Review of 1,400 Cases
Lying to justify a search that killed two people could be a capital crime.
Reacting to Deadly Raid, Houston Police Chief Promises to Restrict No-Knock Warrants
Art Acevedo also said police entering homes will soon start wearing body cameras.
Houston Narc Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid Had Been Accused of Perjury
"I don't have any indication it's a pattern," Police Chief Art Acevedo says.
C.I. Whose Heroin Buy Led to a Deadly Houston Drug Raid Does Not Seem to Exist
An application for a warrant to search a narcotics officer's cellphone reveals that police have been unable to identify the informant.
U.S. Citizens Sue Border Patrol Agent Who Detained Them for Speaking Spanish
The ACLU argues that the 40-minute detention violated the Fourth and 14th amendments.
Here Is What Police Found (and Didn't) After Deadly Houston Drug Raid
The search warrant inventory does not include any evidence of drug dealing.
Houston Cop Involved in Deadly Drug Raid Relieved of Duty Due to 'Ongoing Questions'
The questions reportedly relate to a search warrant affidavit that described drugs and a gun police never found.
One Deadly Drug Raid and Two Red Herrings
Neither gun control nor uncritical support of the police can stop the violence required by the war on drugs.
Houston Narcs Were 'Clearly Labeled' During Deadly Drug Raid, Police Spokesman Says
In light of armed robberies by criminals posing as cops, that might not have been enough.
Did the Couple Killed by Houston Narcs Know Who the Armed Intruders Were?
Police Chief Art Acevedo seems to think cops cannot be shot in self-defense.
No-Knock Warrant for Deadly Drug Raid Describes Heroin and a Gun Cops Didn't Find
Houston narcotics officers thought bursting into the house without warning was the cautious approach.
Supreme Court to Consider Whether Police Can Order Blood Draws from Unconscious Drivers
Warrantless "implied consent" laws are under review over Fourth Amendment concerns.
Judge Blocks New York City Law Demanding Airbnb Share Reams of Private Host Data
Online room-sharing services had no avenue to legally challenge demands for private info.
Kansas Supreme Court Says Cops Can Search Your Home Without a Warrant If They Claim It Smells Like Pot
Cops supposedly smelled 25 grams of pot inside a plastic container inside a safe inside a closet 30 feet from a guy's doorstep.
My Daughter's Middle School Plans to Teach Her Meek Compliance With Indiscriminate Invasions of Privacy
It's never too early for kids to learn that harebrained security theater is an unavoidable fact of life.
Bloomberg and Trump Share a Love of Stop and Frisk
Both New York billionaires overestimate the program's effectiveness and overlook its constitutional defects.
Michael Bloomberg Thinks Charlie Rose, Unlike Random Black Dudes, Deserves a 'Presumption of Innocence'
The former New York mayor defends his stop-and-frisk policy while suggesting the famous TV host did not get a fair hearing.
A School Counselor Says Customs Agents Searched Her Genitals Without Cause
Tameika Lovell says the search violated her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.
Baltimore Cop Quits After Pummeling a Man for Disrespecting His Authority
The Saturday incident immediately prompted an investigation because it was captured on bystander video.
Brett Kavanaugh's Fourth Amendment Blind Spot
The Supreme Court nominee's skepticism fades when cops and spies look for evidence without a warrant.
