Monday, April 25, 2005

Baldwin v. Placer County (9th Cir. - April 19, 2005)

Courts don't like it when you lie to them. Especially when you do so in order to get a search warrant. That's the not-so-hidden atmospheric of this case, in which Judge Noonan affirms the denial of qualified immunity in a civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of a married couple against several officers.

Take a gander at the "Facts" section Judge Noonan's opinion. I don't know if plaintiffs are correct. But the evidence they submit on the point sure gives one reason to believe that it's not-so-farfetched to think that the police may well sometimes submit baldfaced lies in order to obtain a warrant. Which is more than a little bit frightening.