The Fourth Amendment draws its sharpest line at the front door of a home, but that line is often blurred as modern policing increasingly intersects with mental health crisis response and the need to render emergency aid. On January 14, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed this intersection in Case v. Montana, 607 U. S. (2026), where the high Court considered “whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or, whether the emergency-aid exception requires that officers have probable cause for such intrusion, as they typically would when investigating a crime.”

In a recent case, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit released a decision in United States v. Watson, a case that highlights a parolee’s rights during law enforcement investigations and considers the boundaries of compelled statements under the Fifth Amendment.

​

​

​

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently released a decision in United States v. Radaker-Carter, a case that considers suggestiveness regarding reliability and admissibility of police identification procedures. This case highlights that evidence identifying someone as a suspect usually cannot be thrown out on the grounds that a witness saw a picture from a friend before a police lineup, unless the police themselves were responsible for making things unfair or leading the witness to pick a certain person.

​

​

​

​

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently rendered an opinion in United States v. Tovar, a case that deals with human trafficking charges and considers whether the use of a cell phone or the Internet is sufficient to satisfy a federal statute’s interstate commerce element.

​​

​

​

​

​

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently released a ruling for Kampas v. City of St. Louis, Missouri. This case stems from a 2017 acquittal where a former St. Louis Police Department officer was acquitted of the first-degree murder of Anthony Lamar Smith, an African American man.

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

The Fourth Amendment draws its sharpest line at the front door of a home, but that line is often blurred as modern policing increasingly intersects with mental health crisis response and the need to render emergency aid. On January 14, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed this intersection in Case v. Montana, 607 U. S. ____ (2026)... 

​

​

​

​