April 06, 2005

The Death of the 4th Amendment

From the Washington Times:

The Supreme Court yesterday declined to consider whether police can have drug dogs sniff outside people's homes without any specific suspicion of illegal activity.

Justices let stand a lower-court ruling that allowed the dog sniff, rejecting an appeal from a Houston man who said it was an improper police ?search? that violated his Fourth Amendment right against arbitrary searches.

In so doing, the court declined to clarify the scope of police authority after it ruled 6-2 earlier this year that dog sniffs for drugs were OK outside a car if a motorist lawfully is stopped for a traffic violation. Justices David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented in that ruling, cautioning it could lead to much more intrusive searches.

More from the Agitator.

Also, from last year, I mentioned a story of an illegal search of a house where the electricity bill was too high and a "drug-sniffing dog showed interested in the home." There were no drugs, and the police didn't seem too interested in apologizing.

On a similar note, something else that needs to be reviewed further is the use of thermal imagers on private homes.

(ht: SayUncle)

Comments:

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Between this and police and "safety" cameras...we live in a police state. It's ridiculous - and chilling.

Posted by: Miss O'Hara at April 7, 2005 09:43 AM

Someone actually reads the Moonie TIMES?

You do know, don't you, that the "Rev." Moon, who owns the aforementioned fishwrap, bought several surplused Russian submarines some years ago and gave them to North Korea. So his birdcage liner can hardly be considered a credible source for anything at all beyond hogwash.

Posted by: ChristianLibrul at April 11, 2005 09:45 PM