4th amendment – NWSidebar

SCOTUS Gives Green Light to Pre-conviction Warrantless DNA Collection

Explore the Maryland v. King decision, dissent, and impact on Washington law. Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States weighed in for the first time on DNA cheek swabs collected incident to arrest before conviction. Maryland v. King, 133 S. Ct. 1958 (2013), held 5–4 that such a practice was akin to standard […]

Temple of Justice Update: A Fractured Decision on Illegal Searches

In State v. Smith, the WA Supreme Court offers a ruling, but no clear rule, on warrantless searches. The Lakewood police department had a practice of randomly searching guest registries at hotels to find out if there was a warrant out on any guest. The Washington State Supreme Court, in State v. Jorden, 160 Wn.2d 121 […]