Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 220: Listen and Learn -- Exceptions to the Warrant Requirement
In U.S. v. Chatrie, __ F. 4th __, 2025 WL 1242063 (4th Cir. Apr. 30, 2025)(en banc), the Court issued a per curiam affirmance of the District Court’s geofence decision. Fourteen judges joined in that decision. There were...more
Law enforcement agents are not all-powerful in the United States; their power is restricted by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Although primetime police dramas often paper over the details, every...more
On August 9, 2024, the Fifth Circuit issued its decision in United States v. Smith, No. 23-60321, broadly holding: “that the use of geofence warrants … is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment.” This categorical holding...more
What’s in a name? If it’s in a warrant and you’re in the Eleventh Circuit, enough to arrest and jail you for three days even if you don’t match the description of the wanted person, the warrant was issued 26 years earlier...more
In United States v. Purcell, the Second Circuit (Lynch, Pooler, and Park) considered the conviction of defendant Lavellous Purcell on five counts all arising out of his operation of a prostitution business. On appeal,...more
On Wednesday, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed a lower court decision excluding video evidence that Florida prosecutors sought to use in their case against hundreds of men who allegedly patronized the...more
Unlimited law enforcement application of facial recognition software to surveillance footage is an unreasonable search and a violation of Constitutional rights for people in a peaceful crowd. An officer should need to...more
• Illinois expanded the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (PCRIA) to add special procedures for officers involved in incidents where their firearm is discharged causing injury or death to an individual. • New...more
The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing to discuss reforms to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA”) proposed in Senate bill S. 356, The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of...more
Amid controversy over the bill and its potential consequences, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed AB 1327 this Sunday. The bill would have required law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before using a drone to gather criminal...more