Pennsylvania Rejects the Open Fields Doctrine: State Supreme Court Holds Warrantless Searches of Posted Private Land Violate the State Constitution
Punxsutawney Hunting Club, et al. v. Pennsylvania Game Commission, No. 23 WAP 2023 (Pa. July 21, 2026) TL;DR In one of the most significant Fourth Amendment-related decisions of 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution does not permit warrantless searches of posted or enclosed private lands under the federal Open Fields Doctrine. In doing so, the court expressly overruled its 2007 decision in Commonwealth v. Russo an
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53 Taser Cycles, Neck Restraint, & Death: 10th Cir. Rejects Monell Claim Despite Criminal Conviction of Officers
Lakey v. Bryant, No. 25-7068 (10th Cir. July 7, 2026) TL;DR The Tenth Circuit affirmed judgment in favor of an Oklahoma sheriff following the death of Jared Lakey, who died after being tased 53 times over approximately nine minutes by municipal officers before an assisting sheriff's deputy applied a lateral vascular neck restraint (LVNR). Although the individual municipal officers were ultimately found civilly liable for excessive force and guilty in the criminal proceeding,
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