Heien v. North Carolina, USSC No. 13-604, 2014 WL 7010684 (December 15, 2014), affirming State v. Heien, 737 S.E.2d 351 (N.C. 2012); Scotusblog page (includes links to briefs and commentary) Rejecting the position taken by Wisconsin and the clear majority of jurisdictions that have addressed the issue, the Supreme Court holds that a reasonable mistake of law may give rise… Read more
d. Mistake of law
State v. Jeramy J. Qualls, 2014AP141-CR, District 2, 10/8/14 (1-judge; ineligible for publication); case activity Without resolving the burning issue of whether ash from a cigarette violates the Village of Pleasant Prairie’s littering ordinance, the court of appeals holds that a police officer lawfully stopped Qualls’s car because he had reason to believe someone in the car… Read more
State v. Antonio D. Brown, 2014 WI 69, 7/16/14, affirming a published court of appeals decision; majority opinion by Justice Bradley; case activity Another defense victory! Police stopped Brown’s car due to an alleged violation of §347.13(1), which prohibits the operation of a vehicle at night unless its tail lamps are in “good working order.” In a… Read more
Question presented: Whether a police officer’s mistake of law can provide the individualized suspicion that the Fourth Amendment requires to justify a traffic stop. Lower court opinion: State v. Heien, 737 S.E.2d 351 (N.C. 2012) Docket Scotusblog page Heien was stopped because one of the two brake lights didn’t illuminate when his car slowed down. But… Read more
Review of a published court of appeals decision; case activity Issue (composed by the State’s petition for review) In determining the legality of a vehicle stop under the Fourth Amendment, did the court of appeals properly conclude that a tail lamp that is sixty-six percent functional is in “good working order” as required under Wis… Read more
State v. Donald D. Laufer, 2012AP915, District 2, 4/3/13; court of appeals decision (recommended for publication); case activity The officer’s erroneous reading of Laufer’s license plate, which caused the officer to wrongly believe that the plate might not be registered to the vehicle, nonetheless supported stop of the car under the good-faith rule, adopting the… Read more
State v. Pamela L. Hammersley, 2012AP1131-CR, District 2, 9/26/12 court of appeals decision (1-judge, ineligible for publication); case activity Stop of vehicle, assertedly for violating local trespassing ordinance, held not supportable: ¶3 It is settled law that a stop cannot be based on an officer’s mistaken understanding of the law. State v. Longcore, 226 Wis. 2d 1… Read more
State v. Antonio D. Brown, 2013 WI App 17, petition for review granted 10/15/13; case activity Police lacked probable cause to stop Brown for a defective tail lamp, § 347.13, based on one unlit bulb (out of four) in the tail lamp assembly: ¶19 The parties agree with the circuit court’s finding that the police… Read more
