NJ: State could get SW for bullet removed during surgery even four years after shooting

Defendant had elective surgery four years after a shooting to remove the bullet. The police were entitled to a search warrant for the bullet from the hospital because it was evidence of a crime. Trial court’s denial of the warrant is reversed. State v. Ross, 2024 N.J. LEXIS 164 (Mar. 5, 2024).

Before defendant’s arrest in a murder case, defense counsel met with the investigator and made statements attributable to defendant and turned over evidence all in violation of attorney-client privilege all without defendant’s knowledge or permission. With new counsel, defendant successfully moved to suppress both the statements and defendant as the source of the evidence, and the state appealed. The physical evidence is admissible at trial, but the state cannot let any witness tell the jury that defense counsel was the source of the evidence. In the warrant for cell phone information, the warrant didn’t specify which phone was attributable to which of the three people involved (defendant, victim, witness), it was reasonable to infer it was all three and was particular enough. Nexus was also shown. State v. Ledbetter, 2024 Ga. LEXIS 58 (Mar. 5, 2024).*

A foreign national arrested in international waters after a drug raid on a ship has no Fourth Amendment claim. United States v. Marquez, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 5220 (11th Cir. Mar. 5, 2024).*