The facts of this moot are taken from a case being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on February 24, 2021 involving whether police who are in pursuit of someone they believe has committed a misdemeanor and follow that person into his home without first obtaining a warrant.
FACTS: The question comes to the court in the case of Arthur Lange, a northern California man whom a California highway patrol officer followed to his home because he believed that Lange had violated state traffic laws by listening to loud music and honking his horn a few times. After Lange pulled into his garage, the officer – who had turned on his overhead lights but did not use his siren as Lange approached his house – entered the garage by putting his foot under the garage door to block it from closing. When he spoke to Lange, the officer said that he could smell alcohol on his breath, and Lange was charged with driving under the influence.
NOTE: participants will notice that the State of California is listed as a named party yet the brief below is not from the State. This is because the State decided Mr. Lange’s argument was correct, disagreeing with local prosecutors who argued the police had acted properly. In instances like this, when the Court still wants to hear the case, they will appoint someone to write a brief on behalf of the state’s position. Below you will find one of these briefs that I am called “Brief in Support of No Warrant.”
Question Presented: Whether the pursuit of a person whom a police officer has probable cause to believe has committed a misdemeanor categorically qualifies as an exigent circumstance sufficient to allow the officer to enter a home without a warrant.
ARTICLE SUMMARY
RESOURCES
- Introduction to the Fourth Amendment – found on the Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution site.
- Search and Seizure Primer – put out by the ACLU of Ohio
- Exigent Circumstances – page with basic information and more links hosted by the Legal Information Institute
- Two-Part video series on various exceptions to the warrant rule.
- SCOTUS Hears Case On Whether Police Can Enter Homes For Misdemeanors Without Warrants (report from NRP on the oral arguments before the Supreme Court)
- Full oral arguments can be found on the Oyez site.
CASE SUMMARIES
PARTY BRIEFS
- Brief of Petitioner – person arrested
- Brief in Support of No Warrant – lawyer was appointed by Supreme Court to write this.
- Solicitor General – brief submitted by the U.S. Government in support of state’s position
PROPOSED DIVISION OF LABOR
LOWER COURT DECISION
- California Court of Appeals decision – note that the case began in the state court because this is a state criminal case, but the issue concerning the warrant is a federal law issue (U.S. Constitution) which can be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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