Fourth Amendment

Lawyer who says courthouse security guard tackled him and dragged him outside can sue, judge decides

A federal judge has refused to toss a suit by a lawyer who says he was tackled by a security guard at a courthouse in Lowndes County, Mississippi, in a dispute over the need to go through the metal detector.

Sep 23, 2020 2:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge blocks postal changes; bedroom backdrop for SCOTUS justice’s Constitution Day remarks

Federal judge blocks US Postal Service changes Ruling from the bench Thursday, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian of Yakima, Washington, blocked U.S. Postal Service changes that slowed mail delivery. Ruling in a suit by 14 states, Bastian said the plaintiffs have shown a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of…

Sep 17, 2020 4:34 PM CDT

9th Circuit says surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal but upholds convictions

A federal appeals court said Wednesday the massive phone data collection program revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, who copied and leaked classified information from the National Security Agency in 2013 when he was a CIA employee and subcontractor, violated federal law and possibly the Fourth Amendment.

Sep 3, 2020 12:23 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: State justice contracts COVID-19; $50M verdict upheld for man kept in police storage room

Longtime North Dakota Supreme Court justice tests positive for COVID-19 North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Gerald VandeWalle, who is 86 and the longest-serving justice on the state’s high court, has tested positive for COVID-19. Chief Justice Jon Jensen said Thursday that none of the other four justices have tested positive,…

Aug 7, 2020 3:49 PM CDT

Lawsuit allowed against officer accused of holding woman down with his knees

A federal appeals court has allowed a lawsuit against a police officer accused of throwing a handcuffed woman facedown on the grass and crushing her back with his knees.

Aug 3, 2020 1:33 PM CDT

Excessive force case tests fleeing felon defense for cops

An excessive force lawsuit filed against police officers in Rifle, Colorado, tests the contours of the so-called fleeing felon defense.

Jul 28, 2020 4:16 PM CDT

US brief opposes lawyer who objected to border searches of his cellphone

The federal government is opposing a Texas immigration lawyer’s request for an injunction to prevent warrantless border searches of his electronic devices.

Jul 28, 2020 3:30 PM CDT

Oregon sues US agencies over protest arrests; what gave feds authority to intervene?

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum alleged in a lawsuit Friday that federal agencies dispatched to Portland, Oregon, demonstrations are violating protesters’ constitutional rights.

Jul 20, 2020 11:00 AM CDT

4th Circuit spars over predictive policing; dissenter criticized for writing ‘with a smooth pen and a tin ear’

An appellate judge's dissent extolling predictive policing in high-crime areas led to pushback from several judges, including one who complained the policing method "is little more than racial profiling writ large."

Jul 16, 2020 2:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: California law schools announce fall online classes; law protects monuments, state AG says

2 California law schools announce plans for fall online classes Because of COVID-19 concerns, fall 2020 classes will be online at the University of California at Irvine School of Law and the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, the schools announced this week. At the Irvine law school,…

Jun 26, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

Supreme Court rejects cases on qualified immunity used to shield police officers

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear several cases challenging the doctrine of qualified immunity, which often shields police officers accused of misconduct.

Jun 16, 2020 10:30 AM CDT

Bipartisan group of attorneys calls on AG Barr to resign over Lafayette Square actions

More than 100 U.S. Supreme Court practitioners and constitutional lawyers on Thursday called for U.S. Attorney General William Barr to be held accountable for the government’s use of force against protesters in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square on June 1.

Jun 12, 2020 11:57 AM CDT

Journalist blinded in Minneapolis protests sues law enforcement citing First Amendment violation

A freelance journalist who was blinded in one eye while covering recent protests in Minneapolis is suing the city and state and local law enforcement for using excessive force and violating her First Amendment rights.

Jun 11, 2020 1:05 PM CDT

4th Circuit revives suit against police in shooting death and says, ‘This has to stop’

A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit against police officers in the shooting death of a homeless black man who was stopped for failing to walk on the sidewalk.

Jun 10, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge’s TRO restricts tear gas, projectiles; 2 lawyers return to jail

Federal judge bars chemical weapons, projectiles in peaceful protests U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson issued a temporary restraining order Friday banning the Denver Police Department from using chemical weapons and projectiles against peaceful protesters. Jackson also ordered officers to keep their body cameras recording, although he said Saturday that…

Jun 8, 2020 4:45 PM CDT