Illegal Arrest?

[DenverChief]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court offered unanimous support for police Wednesday by allowing drug evidence gathered after an arrest that violated state law to be used at trial, an important search-and-seizure case turning on the constitutional limits of "probable cause."

"When officers have probable cause to believe that a person has committed a crime in their presence, the Fourth Amendment permits them to make an arrest, and to search the suspect in order to safeguard evidence and ensure their own safety," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote.

David Lee Moore was stopped by Portsmouth, Virginia, officers five years ago for driving his vehicle on a suspended license. Under state law in such incidents, only a summons is to be issued and the motorist is to be allowed to go. Instead, detectives detained Moore for almost an hour, arrested him, then searched him and found cocaine.

At trial, Moore's lawyers tried to suppress the evidence, but the state judge allowed it, even though the court noted the arrest violated state law. A police detective, asked why the man was arrested, replied, "Just our prerogative."

While some of the justices expressed concern about that level of discretion at oral arguments in January, their 9-0 ruling raised few such doubts.

"The arrest rules that the officers violated were those of state law alone," Scalia said. "It is not the province of the Fourth Amendment to enforce state law."

The state had argued an arrest is constitutionally reasonable if officers have probable cause to believe a suspect has committed a crime. "This standard represents the best compromise between the needs of the citizens and the duty of the government to combat crime," Stephen McCullough, Virginia's deputy solicitor general, had told the high court.

But Moore's attorney, Thomas Goldstein, called an "extreme proposition" the idea that it would be reasonable "to go out and arrest someone for a non-arrestable offense and not only do that, but having committed that trespass at common law, to further search them."

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There has been widespread judicial confusion over how such police searches should be handled. Some lower courts had ruled that when state arrest law is violated, the Constitution provides a remedy in the suppression of any evidence resulting from the arrest and a related search.

But the justices agreed with the majority of courts that said constitutional requirements are satisfied when an officer has probable cause to make an arrest, even if some provision of state law was violated in the process.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a concurring opinion suggesting Virginia change its law to make driving on a suspended license an arrestable offense.

During arguments, Ginsburg spoke for several colleagues when she pointed out that if a summons had been issued in Moore's case, any incriminating evidence would have been excluded. "Would you explain the logic to saying that when the police violate state law, then the evidence can come in, but when they comply with state law, it can't," she asked.

The ruling means Moore's original jury conviction and 3-½ year prison term will stand

No more fruit of the poisonous tree?

Don't want this to boil into a political debate just thought this was rather interesting that they ruled this way...can't think of another example off hand...but interesting

[Mr. Kotter]

Thugs and bangers gettin' off on some lame-ass technicality has always been such bullshit. Good for the Supremes.

I understand the slippery slope argument that this kinda of thing could lead to intentional abuses by cops...but I say, handle those case-by-case. No way some criminal should walk unless you can prove intentional and deliberate abuse by cops, IMHO.

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

No way some criminal should walk unless you can prove intentional and deliberate abuse by cops, IMHO.

Sorry, but the rules are there to protect people who ARE NOT criminals, and therefore NEED to be extended to ALL people regardless of guilt or innocence.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

Sorry, but the rules are there to protect people who ARE NOT criminals, and therefore NEED to be extended to ALL people regardless of guilt or innocence.

People who are not criminals won't have anything found in a search, will they?

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

People who are not criminals won't have anything found in a search, will they?

And would you be ok with the necessity to carry documentation, and to produce it upon command to prove you were a citizen, and therefore able to remain in the country or out of jail?

[banyon]

The way i read it, it's still up to each individual state whether they want to apply the exclusionary rule to violations of state law under state Constitutions (Kan. Bill of rights Sect. 15). Kansas cases seemed to lean the opposite direction. Don't know what Missouri does.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by banyon

The way i read it, it's still up to each individual state whether they want to apply the exclusionary rule to violations of state law under state Constitutions (Kan. Bill of rights Sect. 15). Kansas cases seemed to lean the opposite direction. Don't know what Missouri does.

I haven't read the actual opinion yet but it should be interesting ....

[ChiefsFanatic]

Wow, that seems to be a very dangerous interpretation of the law. Maybe I am just dumb, but that seems to give a loop hole to avoid all illegal searches and seizures.

[stlchiefs]

Funny this was brought up, we talked about this case in Criminal Procedure today (I have exactly 1 day left of law school). From my understanding/opinion this isn't really too much of a stretch of the law.

Even though the arrest was illegal, the search incident to arrest is not unreasonable because the cop had probable cause. Probable cause is all that is required for such a search and as stated this was present. So, though the cop incorrectly arrested the defendant when a summons was in order, because probable cause was present for the search, there is no reason to toss the evidence obtained from the search.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by stlchiefs

Funny this was brought up, we talked about this case in Criminal Procedure today (I have exactly 1 day left of law school). From my understanding/opinion this isn't really too much of a stretch of the law.

Even though the arrest was illegal, the search incident to arrest is not unreasonable because the cop had probable cause. Probable cause is all that is required for such a search and as stated this was present. So, though the cop incorrectly arrested the defendant when a summons was in order, because probable cause was present for the search, there is no reason to toss the evidence obtained from the search.

awesome congrats....we talked about this (briefly) in Administrative law today....I just am trying to think of another situation where this might happen...like getting arrested in your home for a noise ordinance violation aand subject to your arrest the police discover stolen property that they wouldn't have found if they had (as the ordinance calls for) just summoned you...I dunno interesting discussion tho

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

awesome congrats....we talked about this (briefly) in Administrative law today....I just am trying to think of another situation where this might happen...like getting arrested in your home for a noise ordinance violation aand subject to your arrest the police discover stolen property that they wouldn't have found if they had (as the ordinance calls for) just summoned you...I dunno interesting discussion tho

interested in your take stlchief

[stlchiefs]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

awesome congrats....we talked about this (briefly) in Administrative law today....I just am trying to think of another situation where this might happen...like getting arrested in your home for a noise ordinance violation aand subject to your arrest the police discover stolen property that they wouldn't have found if they had (as the ordinance calls for) just summoned you...I dunno interesting discussion tho

The Courts protect the privacy of ones home MUCH more than they do a person's car. I think the outcome would be very different in the above case. Save for certain exceptions (a growing number) a person cannot even be arrested in their own home without a warrant. On the other hand if the officer was lawfully inside the home (through exigent circumstances, which don't seem to exist here or consent of the "offender") the plain view doctrine would most likely allow them to seize the evidence and admit it at trial.

Takes this all with a grain of salt as next week is my study week for Crim Pro and Crim Law is not my area, I'm a transactional guy.

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by stlchiefs

The Courts protect the privacy of ones home MUCH more than they do a person's car. I think the outcome would be very different in the above case. Save for certain exceptions (a growing number) a person cannot even be arrested in their own home without a warrant. On the other hand if the officer was lawfully inside the home (through exigent circumstances, which don't seem to exist here or consent of the "offender") the plain view doctrine would most likely allow them to seize the evidence and admit it at trial.

Takes this all with a grain of salt as next week is my study week for Crim Pro and Crim Law is not my area, I'm a transactional guy.

But in this case the plain view doctrine would not fit, or they would have had no need to search, and he probably would not have been detained for an hour before the search.

[stlchiefs]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

But in this case the plain view doctrine would not fit, or they would have had no need to search, and he probably would not have been detained for an hour before the search.

Are you talking about DenverChiefs hypo? I'm unsure of where the 1 hour comment is coming from.

[Miles]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

But in this case the plain view doctrine would not fit, or they would have had no need to search, and he probably would not have been detained for an hour before the search.

The plain view doctrine is typically one that apples at a home. That doctrine was conceived for when the police are serving an arrest warrant and have a right to enter the dwelling. As stlchiefs mentioned the rights to search an auto are much more broad than a search of a home.