Equal Justice Under the Law

Case Law 4 Cops contains information on hundreds of court cases. These cases are important to officers and citizens alike. The cases cover what officers can and cannot do in several areas of law. Follow the links below.

Cases Involving the Questioning of Suspects

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Other Cases






Cases Involving Search & Seizure

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New Cases

Curtilage-

US v. Banks, No. 22-1312 (7th Cir. 2023)-Banks, a convicted felon, posted on Snapchat a video of himself grilling on his porch with a gun near him. An officer saw the post and knew Banks was a convicted felon. Several officers went to Banks' house and contacted him on the porch with the intent to warrantless arrest him. They struggled and Banks was finally arrested in the front room of his home. Banks was pat searched by the officers and a loaded 9mm pistol was found in his pocket. Banks made a motion to suppress the gun because the officers did not have a warrant. The motion was denied. Banks pled guilty then appealed the motion to suppress ruling. The 7th Circuit held that the officers needed a warrant to enter Banks' porch. Since it was part of the curtilage and the officers did not obtain consent to enter the porch, the gun evidence was suppressed.

Civil-

Gravitte v. North Carolina DMV, 01-1718 (4th Cir 2002)-Gravitte, a law enforcement officer, sued his employer, the North Carolina Disision of Motor Vehicles. He claimed that his employer's policies requiring a minimum number of enforcement actions and citations each day violated his consitutional rights. The court held that the policy enacted to prevent shirking on the job was not "egregious" or "outrageous" and did not violate the officer's rights.

Arrest-

US v. Jones, No. 19-6182 (10th Cir. 2021)-Jones had misdemeanor warrants. He also failed to appear in court. A bail bondsman contacted the Sheriff's office and informed them that Jones was living in a shop and gave the address. The Deputy went to the address and arrested Jones. He also did a protective sweep of the residence and found a gun. He got a search warrant for the gun. Jones was a convicted felon and was charged with possessing the gun. He made a motion to suppress the gun claiming that the shop belonged to his grandfather. The deputy was required to get a search warrant to enter and arrest him. The court held that the deputy had reliable information to believe that Jones was living at the shop. A search warrant was not required to enter and arrest. The Arrest warrant was sufficient.

Home & Property

Caniglia v. Strom, 20-157, (SCOTUS, 2021)-Caniglia was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation for being suicidal. After he was transported, the police entered his home without a warrant or consent to collect the firearms. Caniglia sued. The district court granted summary judgment to the officers. The First Circuit Court heard the case and decided that the officers' removal of the firearms was justified as a "community caretaking exception" to a warrant requirement. The court's justification was based on the case Cady v. Dombrowski. The Supreme Court reversed in a unanimous decision. It held that there was no "community caretaking exception" allowing the warrantless search of a home. The exception in the Cady v. Dombrowski case was limited to a vehicle.


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