The Wrong Man with the Rifle: Fifth Circuit Finds Officer's Deadly-Force Mistake Was Constitutionally Reasonable
Martinez v. Hinojosa, (5th Cir. June 4, 2026) TL;DR The Fifth Circuit held that a police officer who mistakenly shot an innocent man during an active-shooter incident did not violate the Fourth Amendment because the officer's mistake was objectively reasonable under the circumstances. The court found that Officer David Hinojosa reasonably believed Jorge Martinez was the active shooter when Martinez emerged from a house carrying the suspect's rifle during an ongoing police gun
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The Four Times She Said She Was 15: Why the Entrapment Defense Failed
United States v. Debevec, (8th Cir. 2026) TL;DR Holding The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Jayden Debevec for attempted enticement of a minor under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), holding that sufficient evidence supported the jury's rejection of his entrapment defense and that the district court properly admitted evidence of internet searches suggesting an interest in minors. Even if admission of certain WhatsApp messages was error, it was harmless. Why It Matters This case
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Instagram, Wiretaps, and Rap Videos: How Investigators Built a Federal Drug Conspiracy Case
United States v. Franklin, Smith, Toombs & Duncan, (8th Cir. June 1, 2026) TL;DR The Eighth Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of four members of a Kansas City drug-trafficking organization known as "246." The court upheld social media search warrants, wiretap authorizations, the admission of rap lyrics and music videos, and convictions arising from a drive-by shooting connected to the conspiracy. The decision provides important guidance for law enforcement on es
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