CA4: Firearms are usually kept at home, and nexus was shown

The only inference that can be drawn from the affidavit is that there was a firearm in defendant’s house, and this satisfied the nexus requirement. Firearms are usually kept in the home. Because the affidavit showed probable cause, the good faith exception is moot. United States v. Wienke, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 11358 (4th Cir. May 2, 2018):
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NJ: Public defender must be served with forfeiture to enable adequate defense of criminal case

While the state did not act with malice or intentionally, it violates fundamental fairness to not serve defendant’s public defender with a courtesy copy of a forfeiture complaint so the PD can advise to stay the forfeiture so defendant doesn’t get jammed up by admissions in the forfeiture that prejudice the criminal case. State v. Melendez, 2018 N.J. Super. LEXIS 63 (Apr. 23, 2018):
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NC: Affidavit’s complete failure to show nexus required suppression

The affidavit for the search warrant completely failed to link defendant to the place to be searched, and the trial court erred in not suppressing the search. State v. Lewis, 2018 N.C. App. LEXIS 442 (May 1, 2018):
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VA: Challenge to protective sweep is not a PC challenge, so PC challenged waived for appeal

Defendant’s search challenge was to a protective sweep, but not to the probable cause for the search warrant. That was a waiver of the probable cause issue. Commonwealth v. Smith, 2018 Va. App. LEXIS 115 (May 1, 2018); Commonwealth v. Cockrill, 2018 Va. App. LEXIS 114 (May 1, 2018).

The stop was based on traffic offenses, not four surveillance warrants as defendant contends. The stop was not unreasonably prolonged under Rodriguez. United States v. Lawson, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 11386 (9th Cir. May 2, 2018).*

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Big Think: Predictive policing: Data can be used to prevent crime, but is that data racially tinged?

Big Think: Predictive policing: Data can be used to prevent crime, but is that data racially tinged? by Eric Siegel:
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Law.com: Judge to Consider This Week Whether to Unseal Vast Surveillance Records

Law.com: Judge to Consider This Week Whether to Unseal Vast Surveillance Records by Ben Hancock:

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis Westmore of the Northern District of California may reveal whether the curtain of secrecy around past electronic surveillance in criminal investigations will be pulled back.

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CA2: Def’s yard in Staten Island was curtilage; there is curtilage even in an urban area

A yard of house in Staten Island was search by NYPD at 3:30 am. The Second Circuit finds the search violated the curtilage. The yard qualifies under Dunn and Jardines. United States v. Alexander, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 11093 (2d Cir. May 1, 2018):
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D.Me.: Three alternative bases to uphold search

“The Court discerns [and finds] three alternative bases for determining that the December 20 interaction was lawful: either (1) the interaction with Defendant constituted a consensual encounter until Defendant admitted to possessing marijuana; (2) the officers executed a lawful Terry stop from the outset based on their reasonable suspicion of criminal activity; or (3) a consensual encounter developed into a lawful Terry stop.” United States v. James, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72858 (D. Me. May 1, 2018).* [Sounds like actually two.]

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NJ: Reliability of CI isn’t a question for a bail hearing

“We do not rule on the validity of the search warrant now. But we note that it supports the informant’s veracity by pointing to past instances of reliability, and expressly details what the informant knew of the criminal activity from personal observation. The fact that no gun was recovered does not undermine the source’s prior history or reliability. [¶] It was therefore not appropriate to discount the weight of the evidence based on the informant’s reliability.” State v. Mercedes, 2018 N.J. LEXIS 540 (May 1, 2018).

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MS: A passenger in car 20 min before stop had no standing

Defendant was in the car that was stopped for 20 minutes and admittedly had no possessory interest in the car. Therefore, he had no standing. Nowell v. State, 2018 Miss. App. LEXIS 210 (May 1, 2018).

“Williams argues the search warrant for the house at which he was sleeping was facially deficient because it failed to specify the location to be searched and the items to be seized. He also argues for the first time on appeal the warrant failed to specify his identity and his connection to the location. But the warrant contained the specific address of the house, an exhaustive list of items (including weapons, drugs, and drug paraphernalia), and it named Williams as an owner, occupant, or possessor of the property. Hence, as required under Maryland v. Garrison, 480 U.S. 79, 84 (1987), it ‘particularly describe[ed] the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.’ Id.” United States v. Williams, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 11098 (3d Cir. May 1, 2018).*

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M.D.Tenn.: While def’s search under “all persons” clause of SW was unreasonable, he was still subject to Terry detenion

A search of defendant under an “all persons” clause in a warrant was unreasonable. Still, however, the officers had reasonable suspicion to detain him. His admission then was that he had a gun, and that led to a frisk. “Giving ‘great deference’ to the General Sessions Judge’s determination that there are particular facts to find that probable cause existed. The search warrant here does not conform to the constitutional standards to uphold the detention and search of Utley based on the ‘all persons’ clause. … The Government alternatively argues that the officers had authority to detain him under Summers. The Government has the burden to prove that the warrantless detention of Utley was appropriate. United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164 n.14 (1974); United States v. Herndon, 501 F.3d 683, 692 (6th Cir. 2007). Adhering to precedent established in Summers and Bailey, the detention of Utley was proper.” United States v. Utley, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73363 (M.D. Tenn. May 1, 2018).

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WaPo: Va. Supreme Court revives challenge to police storage of license plate reader data

WaPo: Va. Supreme Court revives challenge to police storage of license plate reader data by Tom Jackman:
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D.Colo.: Additional DNA sample and fingerprints despite the fact the govt already has it

The court can order an additional DNA sample and fingerprints despite the fact the government already has it. United States v. Lovato, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71592 (D. Colo. Apr. 30, 2018).

Collateral estoppel doesn’t apply to a suppression order where the law has changed since the first ruling. United States v. Arterbury, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71662 (N.D. Okla. Apr. 30, 2018).

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MO: Def’s overly nervous behavior, feigning sleep, hiding something, and admission he had a weapon was certainly RS

“The evidence supported a reasonable and particularized suspicion that Defendant was armed, based upon the following behavior exhibited by Defendant: (1) feigning to be asleep; (2) numerous false statements to police; (3) overly nervous demeanor and sweating; (4) flight-like behavior; (5) initial refusal to reveal his waist area; (6) his suspicious fidgeting underneath his towel, which caused both officers to believe at that point Defendant possessed a weapon; and (7) when Officer Cook asked Defendant if he had ‘a knife or a gun or anything like that,’ Defendant nodded affirmatively. All of this behavior would cause a reasonably prudent person to suspect that Defendant was armed and dangerous.” State v. Allen, 2018 Mo. App. LEXIS 426 (Apr. 30, 2018).

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PA: Def consented to recordings of jail calls, and this is an exception to the state wiretap statute

The trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law were completely wrong. Defendant had no reasonable expectation of privacy concerning his jail calls made over a television monitor and through a computer system. This was a case of consent under the state wiretap statute to the recordings because every call starts with a warning it could be recorded. Commonwealth v. Byrd, 2018 PA Super 102, 2018 Pa. Super. LEXIS 406 (Apr. 30, 2018).

Defendant’s effort to hide a gun in his carport, visible from outside the carport, satisfied exigent circumstances for an entry into the curtilage. United States v. Rodriguez, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72050 (S.D. Fla. Apr. 30, 2018).*

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MN: Seizure of blood sample by SW to a hospital doesn’t violate doctor-patient privielge

“The seizure of a patient’s blood sample pursuant to a search warrant addressed to a hospital does not violate the statutory physician-patient privilege because a blood sample collected by the hospital as part of medical treatment does not constitute ‘information’ under the plain language of” the Minnesota doctor-patient privilege. Suppression order reversed. State v. Atwood, 2018 Minn. App. LEXIS 213 (Apr. 30, 2018).

The police were justified in believing defendant’s housemate had apparent authority to consent to police entry. United States v. Cross, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 10961 (9th Cir. Apr. 30, 2018).*

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E.D.Wis.: Officers’ threat to get SW was real and justified so consent still voluntary

Defendant was arrested at his house, and his wife later consented to entry to seize a gun. The officers’ threat to get a search warrant if she didn’t consent was genuine and there was probable cause to get a search warrant. United States v. Polnitz, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70324 (E.D. Wis. Apr. 26, 2018).*

Defendant was the target of a search of another’s cell phone to recover text messages that defendant sent. He had no standing to challenge the search of the cell phone. United States v. Bereznak, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70961 (M.D. Pa. Apr. 27, 2018).*

Defendant claimed a page was missing from the arrest complaint and that was a fraud on the court. “The alleged document would not be sufficient under AEDPA to establish by clear and convincing evidence that, but for constitutional error, no reasonable factfinder would have found him guilty of the underlying offense. See 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(2). And insofar as Wardlaw claims that law enforcement obtained a search warrant through false statements, this claim was already addressed in his original habeas proceeding. See 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(1).” Successor petition denied. In re Wardlaw, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 10744 (6th Cir. Apr. 26, 2018).*

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CA11: There is no adverse inference as a matter of law from failure to maintain audio of stop

Because the exclusionary rule is a “last resort,” on plain error review, defendant cannot claim error for the failure of the district court to determine that his version of the facts is more credible than the governments. There is no adverse presumption merely from the failure to maintain the audio of the stop and it was lost. [Of course, you can cross examine on it.] United States v. Bishop, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 10700 (11th Cir. Apr. 24, 2018):
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Volokh Conspiracy: Suspect Can Be Compelled to Decrypt Devices If Government Proves He Has The Ability To Do So, Court Rules

United States v. Spencer, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70649 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 26, 2018)

Volokh Conspiracy: Suspect Can Be Compelled to Decrypt Devices If Government Proves He Has The Ability To Do So, Court Rules by Orin Kerr:

The right approach, in my view.
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Fortune: Police Body Cameras Could Get Facial Recognition Technology

Fortune: Police Body Cameras Could Get Facial Recognition Technology by Lisa Marie Segarra:
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