MI: Common law rule on resisting unlawful police entry into the home not abrogated

The legislature did not clearly overrule the common law that a homeowner may resist an unlawful entry into his home. Defendant was charged with obstruction after struggling with police officers who entered his house. The state carries the burden of showing that the officers entered legally. People v. Moreno, 491 Mich. 38, 814 N.W.2d 624 (2012):

In this case, we review whether defendant was properly charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer under MCL 750.81d after defendant struggled with officers who had entered his home unlawfully. To resolve this issue, we must address whether MCL 750.81d abrogates the common-law right to resist illegal police conduct, including unlawful arrests and unlawful entries into constitutionally protected areas. We conclude that the statute did not abrogate this right.

While the Legislature has the authority to modify the common law, it must do so by speaking in “no uncertain terms.” Neither the language of MCL 750.81d nor the legislative history of this statute indicates with certainty that the Legislature intended to abrogate the common-law right to resist unlawful arrests or other invasions of private rights. We cannot presume that the Legislature intended to abrogate this right. Therefore, we overrule People v Ventura, 262 Mich App 370, 686 NW2d 748 (2004), to the extent that it held that the Legislature affirmatively chose to modify the traditional common-law rule that a person may resist an unlawful arrest. Because the Court of Appeals in this case relied on Ventura and extended its holding to the context of illegal entries of the home, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court. On remand, we instruct the trial court to grant defendant’s motion to quash the charges on the basis of its ruling that the officers’ conduct was unlawful.

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In this case, the Court of Appeals held that “[t]he fact that defendant refused entry to the officers unless they obtained a search warrant is indicative of defendant’s knowledge of their status as police officers and that they were engaged in the performance of their official duties.” There is no question that defendant knew that the men at his door were police officers. However, the officers wanted to enter defendant’s home without a warrant, and one of the officers physically prevented defendant from closing the door to his home. Accordingly, defendant’s refusal to allow the officers into his home is not conclusive of whether defendant had reasonable cause to know that the officers were “engaged in the performance of their official duties.” Consistently with the common-law rule, we conclude that the prosecution must establish that the officers’ actions were lawful.

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IV. CONCLUSION

While the Legislature has the authority to modify the common law, it must do so by speaking in “no uncertain terms.” Neither the language of MCL 750.81d nor the legislative history of this statute indicates with certainty that the Legislature intended to abrogate the common-law right to resist unlawful arrests or other unlawful invasions of private rights. We cannot presume that the Legislature intended to abrogate this right. Therefore, we overrule Ventura to the extent that it held that the Legislature affirmatively chose to modify the traditional common-law rule that a person may resist an unlawful arrest.

There is a lot to be said for making the police think twice before a spurious entry into somebody’s house, and that’s what the common law does.