The exclusionary rule first appeared in 1914, in a federal case involving the U.S. Marshal's Office, known as Weeks v. U.S. That case involved U.S. Marshals searching a home for lottery tickets.The search was conducted without a warrant and the U.S. Supreme Court...
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Year: 2014
Dollree Mapp and the exclusionary rule, pt.2
When law enforcement violates the constitution, the courts are faced with a difficult problem. The Constitution, as the enabling law from which all other federal and state laws obtain their validity, lacks one important feature. It has no enforcement mechanism for...
Dollree Mapp and the exclusionary rule
Most drivers in Tennessee who are pulled over and charged with DUI have never heard of a woman known as Dollree Mapp, nor of the U.S. Supreme Court case that bears her name. Mapp v. Ohio is not as famous as other criminal cases like Miranda, but for a suspect in a...
Holidays bring Tennessee sobriety checkpoints
'Tis the season for holiday jingles, festive decorations and lots of pretty lights. Unfortunately, for some drivers, those blinking lights may not be on a tree, but on a Tennessee Highway Patrol or Chattanooga Police Department vehicle at a sobriety checkpoint.Those...
How to improve Tennessee’s DUI laws
Some look at Tennessee's DUI laws and believe they need to be more severe. They want the penalties to be more draconian, with larger fines and longer sentences. They look at a case of a repeat DUI charge or conviction and believe that the only reason the system failed...
Tennessee troopers will be out in force over Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving travel throughout Tennessee is expected to reach the highest levels since 2007, with more than a million motorists on the roads of the state.To enable that travel to remain safe and arrive at its destination, the Governor's Highway Safety Office and...
Officer’s DUI dismissal rate is higher than average
Law enforcement officers are given a great deal of authority and discretion. After all, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper or a Chattanooga Police officer, if they observe that your vehicle has a taillight out or you weave in and out of your lane, they can pull over...
With the holidays come the THP sobriety checkpoints
Now that Halloween has passed and the stores are full of Christmas displays, another sure sign of the impending holiday season are announcements by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, local law enforcement and the Governor's Highway Safety Office regarding stepped up...
Constitutionality of DUI blood test fees challenged
If you are arrested, you may be confused and overwhelmed. You may be fearful, not fully understanding everything that is going on in the process, and you may not know what to expect next. But even in that condition, you probably do expect that the system will function...
Tennessee Highway Patrol to host roadblocks for Halloween
Some holidays, such as New Year's Eve, have long been associated with overindulgence and alcohol. We have come to expect extra warnings about the dangers of drunk driving and the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other local law enforcement often have enhanced numbers of...