Supreme Court sides with Montana police on warrant requirements during emergencies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court He joined Montana police on Wednesday in a lawsuit over whether officers can enter a home without a warrant if an emergency arises inside.

The high court unanimously ruled that the officers acted lawfully when they entered the home of William Case, who was shot and wounded after entering his home in 2021.

Police were responding to a call from Case’s ex-girlfriend, who feared he may have killed her. After knocking on the door and receiving no response, they entered his house. According to court documents, an officer opened fire after Case opened the closet curtain while holding an object that appeared to be a gun. A gun was later found in a nearby laundry basket.

Case was accused of assaulting a police officer but argued that the evidence against him should be thrown out because the officers did not have a search warrant.

The Montana Supreme Court disagreed, finding that officers only need to reasonably suspect that someone needs emergency assistance. Case appealed to judges and asked them to require a higher standard of probable cause, similar to criminal investigations.

The judges rejected this argument. They found that the standard set by the state’s highest court was too low, but that the Montana officers’ actions were still “objectively reasonable” under the standard set in an earlier Supreme Court case.

Opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan He noted that going inside in an emergency does not allow police to search beyond what is necessary to assist and keep officers safe.

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