Issues

NPR: "FBI Still Struggling With Supreme Court's GPS Ruling"

FourthAmendment.com - News - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29

NPR: FBI Still Struggling With Supreme Court's GPS Ruling by Carrie Johnson:

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court said police had overstepped their legal authority by planting a GPS tracker on the car of a suspected drug dealer without getting a search warrant. It seemed like another instance in a long line of cases that test the balance between personal privacy and the needs of law enforcement.

But the decision in U.S. v. Jones set off alarm bells inside the FBI, where officials are trying to figure out whether they need to change the way they do business.

Before the Supreme Court ruling in late January, the FBI had about 3,000 GPS tracking devices in the field.

See also BLT: Prosecutors Gear Up For GPS Drug Case, Sans Tracking Data:

With the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark warrantless surveillance case back in Washington federal district court, prosecutors said they are gearing up for a legal fight over the availability of certain pieces of evidence.

The high court in January ruled for a Washington nightclub owner named Antoine Jones. Prosecutors have accused him of running a cocaine trafficking ring in the Washington metropolitan area.

College degree, religious faith help marriages 'survive' to 20th year

America's marriage culture may be changing, but two statistics look about the same as they did 30 years ago:

• By the time women reach age 40, about eight in 10 will have married for the first time, just as they did in the 1980s.

• And 20 years later, ...

Sanford city panel votes 'no confidence' in police chief

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Sanford city commissioners have voted "no confidence" in their police chief over the handling of the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a neighborhood watch captain.

The commission voted 3-2 Wednesday night against Chief Bill Lee Jr.

Commissioner Mark McCarty said Lee, who was ...

Was Florida shooter a vigilante or diligent neighbor?

SANFORD, Fla. — George Zimmerman once took criminal justice classes at the community college and was practically a one-man neighborhood watch in his gated part of town, calling police close to 50 times over the past eight years to report such things as slow-driving vehicles, strangers loitering in the neighborhood ...

Habits vs. G-strings: Nuns clash with strip club site next door

On one side of the fence are women in habits and wimples who have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

On the other side of that fence, if a developer gets his way, will be women in G-strings in the business of nudity, dollars and prurience.

The scene for ...

American Scene: Suspect in Amish attacks must fund his defense

CLEVELAND — The accused ringleader in beard-cutting attacks on fellow Amish in Ohio cannot rely on taxpayers to pay his legal bills, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster ruled that Samuel Mullet Sr., 66, who has a nearly 800-acre farm near Steubenville with oil and ...

Rivkin and Casey: The Supreme Court Weighs ObamaCare

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce is broad but not limitless.


BLT: "D.C. Judge Weighs Constitutional Challenge to 'Post and Forfeit'"

FourthAmendment.com - News - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29

BLT: D.C. Judge Weighs Constitutional Challenge to 'Post and Forfeit' by Zoe Tillman:

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson heard arguments today about whether a legal challenge to a controversial post-arrest procedure in the District of Columbia known as "post and forfeit" should survive a motion to dismiss.

Under "post and forfeit," a person arrested for certain low-level offenses in D.C. can post collateral and then agree to forfeit it in exchange for having the case essentially dropped. The Metropolitan Police Department has come under scrutiny in the past amid concerns that officers used "post and forfeit" to quickly close and cover up wrongful arrests.

Supremes 9, EPA 0

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
The Justices rebuke the bureaucracy's water torture.


The Bottom 0.1%

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
The Buffett rule yields a pittance.


China's Coup Jitters

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
Chinese citizens understand their government is not as stable as it claims.


Indiana Law Blog: "Ind. Law -- Gov. signs SEA 1, the right to defend against unlawful entry"

FourthAmendment.com - News - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29

Indiana Law Blog: Ind. Law -- Gov. signs SEA 1, the right to defend against unlawful entry

A news release just received:

Tuesday evening, Governor Daniels signed SEA 1, titled “Right to defend against unlawful entry.” He issued the following statement about his decision to sign the bill:

“After close inspection, I have decided to sign Senate Enrolled Act 1. Contrary to some impressions, the bill strengthens the protection of Indiana law enforcement officers by narrowing the situations in which someone would be justified in using force against them. Senate Enrolled Act 1 puts into place a two-part test before a person can use deadly force against a law enforcement officer: First, it clarifies and restates the current requirement that a person reasonably believe the law enforcement officer is acting unlawfully. Second, it adds that the force must be reasonably necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the citizen. This second requirement is not part of the current law.

“Moreover, unless a person is convinced an officer is acting unlawfully, he cannot use any force of any kind. In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met. ..."

The Act is to counter the Indiana Supreme Court's Barnes case, posted here.

Selee and Wilson: How Mexico Creates American Jobs

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
Our southern neighbor buys 13% of all U.S. exports.


Wisconsin town jolted by booms in night

CLINTONVILLE, Wis. — Sleepless families in a small Wisconsin town longed for quiet Wednesday after mysterious booming noises over the past few nights roused them from bed and sent residents into the street sometimes still in pajamas.

The strange disturbance sounds like distant thunder, fireworks or someone slamming a heavy ...

Rove: 'The Road We've Traveled' With Obama

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
Three dismal years are spun into 17 minutes of fact-challenged campaign film.


Henninger: Ryan's Hat Is in the Ring

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
With the House budget, the GOP's institutions are joined to the party's presidential candidates.


Ron Prosor: Tolerating Hamas Invites a Mideast War

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
The United Nations ignores 12,000 rockets launched into southern Israel.


A New Nation Tests Its Strength

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
After winning independence, Americans discovered that sovereignty had to be exercised in order to be real. William Anthony Hay reviews "Among the Powers of the Earth" by Eliga H. Gould.


Santorum: What you see is what you get

CNN - Politics - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
Rick Santorum responds to comments by a Romney aide who compared the former governor's campaign to an Etch-a-Sketch.
Categories: CNN, Issues, Politics

Best of the Web Today: Criminal Stupidity

Opinion Journal - Wed, 2025-05-14 01:29
It's spring, and "Occupy Wall Street" is back.


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