In a case closely watched by law enforcement nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether a Florida police dog's sniff outside the front door of a house with a marijuana growing operation is an illegal search.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi wants the justices to reverse a state Supreme Court decision that the K-9's sniff runs afoul of the Fourth Amendment protection against illegal search and seizure. Eighteen states and the territory of Guam have filed a brief in support of Bondi's position, concerned that other state courts might start issuing similar decisions.
"If the Florida Supreme Court's decision stands, it could have a profound chilling effect on law enforcement efforts to combat illegal drugs," the states' filing says. "The Florida Supreme Court's decision jeopardizes the states' ability to use this crucial tool to discover illegal drugs prior to their distribution."
I'm not sure what the chilling effect would be... And the last quote -- that the decision impacts the states' ability to nab criminals -- is true of the 4th Amendment in every case. But, I'm not sure the Florida Supreme Court's opinion will have much of a shot with this Court...
3 comments:
today marks the end of the 4th amendment. This court will now side with law enforcement and the issue will be settled law forever. Sometimes be careful what u wish for.
seems like the fla ct should be reversed in this one. officers obtained a warrant after both the dog and an officer smelled marijuana emanating from the front door of the house. given the other evidence that suggested the presence of a grow house, the judge issued the warrant. what exactly did the police do wrong in that situation?? plus the judge issued a warrant, thereby triggering Leon. and not surprisingly, they found a marijuana grow house when they entered to serve the warrant. sounds like a slam dunk, rightfully so.
The Florida Supreme Court overreached and misread SCOTUS precedents. I'd bet $10,000 the Fla. decision will be overturned.
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