In the post 9-11 world, getting through airport security can be a real pain in the keister. You got to take off your shoes (thanks for that, Richard Reid), your belt, put your laptop in a separate bin, etc., etc.). But the Clayton County P.D. in Atlanta added another fun wrinkle: purportedly random stops of TSA-cleared passengers on jet bridges that involved questioning about contraband and additional searches.
Two black passengers named Eric Andre and Clayton English--who both also happen to be celebrity comedians--claimed these stops weren't so random and that the department selectively targeted black passengers.
The Eleventh Circuit held that the plaintiffs didn't plausibly allege a discriminatory purpose. But it also held that, if what the Plaintiffs said about the stops was true, the County's "drug interdiction program"constituted a policy and custom of unlawful seizures that violated the Fourth Amendment.
If you have a connecting flight in Atlanta anytime soon, may want to read this one in its entirety!
Opinion here.
No comments:
Post a Comment