Fleeing with a Gun: Sixth Circuit Upholds Officers’ Use of Deadly Force in Convenience Store Shooting
Ward v. Brotzke, No. 25-1653 (6th Cir. June 12, 2026) TL;DR The Sixth Circuit held that Detroit police officers were entitled to qualified immunity after shooting a suspect who ignored commands, pulled a handgun from his pocket, and ran toward the exit of a convenience store. The court found that one officer who fired and missed never "seized" the suspect under the Fourth Amendment because the suspect continued fleeing. The officer who struck the suspect acted reasonably unde
6 min read
Can the Government Take Your Guns Because You Smoke Marijuana? The Supreme Court Says No.
United States v. Hemani, 608 U.S. ___ (2026) TL;DR The Supreme Court held that the federal government's prosecution of Ali Hemani under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3)—the statute prohibiting firearm possession by unlawful users of controlled substances—violated the Second Amendment as applied to him. The government attempted to disarm Hemani solely because he admitted using marijuana several times per week, despite no evidence that he was intoxicated while possessing a firearm, danger
6 min read
Phone First, Warrant Second? The Eighth Circuit Upholds Emergency Seizure of Digital Evidence
United States v. Evans, No. 25-1926 (8th Cir. June 9, 2026) TL;DR The Eighth Circuit upheld the conviction of a man who secretly recorded a 15-year-old girl bathing through a bathroom transom window. The court held that even if the suspect's initial consent to surrender his phone was questionable because an officer mentioned obstruction charges, the seizure was nevertheless lawful under the exigent-circumstances exception because officers had probable cause and a reasonable b
4 min read