You Can Film the Police Station — But That Doesn't End the Fourth Amendment Analysis
Massimino v. Benoit, No. 25-1104 (2d Cir. Aug. 17, 2026) TL;DR The Second Circuit held that the First Amendment protects the right to record law enforcement activity in public, including publicly visible areas of a police station from a public sidewalk. But that did not mean officers were prohibited from investigating the person doing the recording. Recording a police station, standing alone, was not enough to establish reasonable suspicion. Here, however, additional circumst
8 min read
Officers Don't Lose the Automobile Exception Just Because They Could Have Gotten a Warrant
United States v. Randle, No. 25-2278 (7th Cir. July 29, 2026) TL;DR The Seventh Circuit held that officers who had already developed probable cause through a controlled drug investigation were authorized to search a suspect's vehicle under the automobile exception—even though they had enough time beforehand to obtain a search warrant. The court also reaffirmed that a properly conducted traffic stop is not unlawfully prolonged when officers continue working on the traffic miss
4 min read
A K-9 Alert Doesn't Become Invalid Just Because No Drugs Are Found: U.S. 7th Cir. Affirms Firearm Conviction
United States v. Banks, No. 24-2227 (7th Cir. June 30, 2026) TL;DR The Seventh Circuit upheld a firearm conviction after rejecting multiple Fourth Amendment challenges arising from a traffic stop. The court held that officers had reasonable suspicion for the initial stop, did not unlawfully prolong the detention while the driver attempted to obtain updated insurance information, and lawfully searched the vehicle after a certified drug-detection dog alerted—even though no narc
5 min read