Category Archives: Qualified immunity

AR: Questions about legality of search before jury properly excluded under 403

Where the trial court denied the pretrial motion to suppress, cross-examination of the officer about the legality of the search was properly denied on objection by the state as potentially misleading to the jury. Damon v. State, 2025 Ark. App. … Continue reading

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E.D.Mich.: Civil Franks violation was “well established” and QI denied

Plaintiff was arrested for child sexual abuse. The child recanted, and the prosecutor involved was disbarred for misconduct in this case. Plaintiff’s claim for a Franks violation was well established by 1978, and qualified immunity denied. MacMaster v. Busacca, 2025 … Continue reading

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D.Mont.: Search incident doctrine didn’t apply where car was searched when def was transported to ER

Officers lacked reasonable suspicion for a probation search of defendant’s vehicle. In addition, its search couldn’t be justified by search incident when he was already transported to the hospital before the search occurred. United States v. Heafner, 2025 U.S. Dist. … Continue reading

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VI: Multiple falsities about CI made successful Franks challenge

Defendant succeeded in his Franks challenge on misleading statements about the CI as an observer rather than participant in the crime and the affidavit lacked corroborating investigative facts and omitted information about W1’s lies. All this was material to the … Continue reading

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D.Ariz.: USPO can turn phone seized in supervised release over to FBI

It was not improper for the PO to turn defendant’s phone over to the FBI to search it when it was already lawfully seized. “This is not a stalking horse case.” The delay was not unreasonable. United States v. Fuller, … Continue reading

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E.D.Tex.: Suppression not remedy for knock-and-announce violation

Suppression is not the remedy for a knock-and-announce violation. United States v. Bello, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 236255 (E.D. Tex. Dec. 19, 2024),* adopted, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2332 (E.D. Tex. Jan. 7, 2025).* Defendant had no standing to question … Continue reading

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CA7: Concession of PC in USDC bars this claim

“On appeal, Birkley does not contest the district court’s reasons for dismissing the case, including its rationale that Birkley failed to state a claim because he conceded at his preliminary hearing that the police had probable cause for their actions. … Continue reading

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WI: Not coercive to tell def officer will get SW if he doesn’t consent when there is PC

It’s not coercive to tell a suspect that the officer will get a search warrant if he doesn’t consent when there’s probable cause. State v. Gore, 2025 Wisc. App. LEXIS 7 (Jan. 7, 2025). There was probable cause for defendant’s … Continue reading

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N.D.Cal.: Violation of CalECPA has nothing to do with federal rights

Violation of CalECPA has nothing to do with federal rights. United States v. Wenger, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1331 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 3, 2025). At the time of the warrant, it was not established that the accused had to have … Continue reading

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TN: Def’s yelling “police” and turning back from door justified immediate entry on fear of destruction of evidence

When police knocked at defendant’s door, he yelled “police” and turned back inside the house, they feared to warn others or destroy evidence. “Here, based upon the totality of the circumstances, the record shows that the officer had a reasonable … Continue reading

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W.D.Va.: No REP prison visit with nonlawyer wouldn’t be videorecorded on bodycam

Plaintiff had no reasonable expectation of privacy in his prison visit with his brother being recorded on body camera of a nearby correctional officer. Saunders v. Vilbrandt, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 989 (W.D. Va. Jan. 2, 2025).* “To the extent … Continue reading

Posted in Body cameras, Issue preclusion, Prison and jail searches, Qualified immunity, Video surveillance | Comments Off on W.D.Va.: No REP prison visit with nonlawyer wouldn’t be videorecorded on bodycam

OR: 3 am look at def’s car in driveway was unreasonable under state constitution

Officers approached defendant’s house by the driveway and came to the “back door” which was also a way into the house for ordinary visitors. The look at his car at 3 am exceeded implied consent to enter. “[A]t three o’clock … Continue reading

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CA5: Where 4A claim undecided below, it doesn’t form basis for stay

In the appeal of Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. v. Garland, posted here, the Fifth Circuit doesn’t rely on the undecided Fourth Amendment claim in deciding on a stay. 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 32565 (5th Cir. Dec. 23, 2024).* The … Continue reading

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NC: Drug dog alert on def’s car isn’t RS to frisk his person

A drug dog alert on defendant’s car isn’t reasonable suspicion to frisk his person. State v. Stollings, 2024 N.C. App. LEXIS 1006 (Dec. 17, 2024). Defense counsel wasn’t ineffective for not further challenging the search warrant issued after an entry … Continue reading

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CA6: 4A IAC claim requires a showing petitioner would win on the merits of search claim

“And if Derringer intended to argue that counsel should have moved to suppress the cell phone videos, he did not identify any basis for challenging the validity of the search warrant that resulted in the seizure of the cell phone … Continue reading

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OH8: Failure to attempt to distinguish contrary settled cases is waiver of argument

“In similar situations to the second transaction, federal courts have upheld the validity of the warrant to search a drug dealer’s premises based on the ‘common sense’ inference that drugs would be found in the home, essentially finding that evidence … Continue reading

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NY3: “Common sense” that a drug dealer might have evidence on his cell phone isn’t PC

Just because defendant was a suspected drug dealer, there wasn’t probable cause for searching his cell phone. “While [officer] Bruno recounted that there was a quantity of drugs found in the motel room, along with the two phones, he did … Continue reading

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CA6: Arrest based on unreliable eyewitness violates clearly established law

“Our precedent holds that it was clearly established that an officer may not arrest an individual based solely on an eyewitness account that is untruthful or unreliable. That is exactly what happened here when Officer Wieber learned that the prior … Continue reading

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CA8: Pro se def’s standby counsel not ineffective at suppression hearing; not counsel’s role

Defendant chose to go pro se at the suppression hearing, grudgingly accepting standby counsel. After the motion to suppress was denied, he claimed ineffective assistance by standby counsel for not doing more. But that’s not standby counsel’s role. United States … Continue reading

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W.D.Mo.: Judge actually participating in seizure denied absolute immunity

A state judge is denied absolute immunity for allegedly participating in a seizure in the courthouse rather than just ordering it. Rockett ex rel. His Minor Children v. Eighmy, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 205918 (W.D. Mo. Nov. 13, 2024). A … Continue reading

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