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Montana Supreme Court: Odor of Marijuana by Itself Insufficient to Prolong Traffic Stop
by Anthony W. Accurso
The Supreme Court of Montana ruled a state trooper impermissibly extended a traffic stop to investigate a drug possession based solely on the odor of marijuana and undeveloped hunches.
William James Harning was driving a truck full of ceramics to an art show …
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More from this issue:
- The Debunking of Forensic Science: A Decade of Increased Scrutiny Reveals Forensic Processes Prone to Bias and Error, by Casey Bastian
- California Court of Appeal: At Felony-Murder Resentencing Hearing, Court May Not Deny Relief Based on Findings That Are Inconsistent With Previous Acquittal, by Douglas Ankney
- You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re On It, by John W. Whitehead, Nisha Whitehead
- Montana Supreme Court: Odor of Marijuana by Itself Insufficient to Prolong Traffic Stop, by Anthony Accurso
- Fifth Circuit: ‘Nonsubstantial Overcrowding’ of Vehicle Used in Transporting Illegal Aliens Insufficient for Imposition of Sentencing Enhancement Under Guidelines § 2L1.1(b)(6), by Douglas Ankney
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Completed ‘Purchase’ of Drugs Under Trafficking Statute Requires Exchange of Money and Possession, by David Reutter
- California Court of Appeal: Kill-Zone Theory Principles Articulated in Canizales Are Retroactive to Judgments That Were Final at Time of Decision, by Jacob Barrett
- Police Digitally Frame Activists in India, but It Can Happen Anywhere, by Jayson Hawkins
- Eleventh Circuit: Prosecutor Denied Absolute Prosecutorial Immunity for Failure to Ensure Cancellation of Material Witness Warrant, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: District Court Erred in Finding That a Fourth Amendment Stop Did Not Occur, by Harold Hempstead
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Where Trial Counsel Believed, Erroneously, He Had Ethical Duty to Tell Prosecution Location of Key Incriminating Evidence Not in Counsel’s Possession, by Douglas Ankney
- Los Angeles: Police Union Resists Changes to Pretextual Stops, by Jayson Hawkins
- Police Find It Easier to Influence Public Opinion Than to Protect and Serve, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Tenth Circuit: Unreasonable Determination of Downward Variance of Guidelines Resulted in Plain Error, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Suppresses Evidence as Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Where Officer Lacked Probable Cause to Arrest Man Who Displayed Handgun in Open Carry State, by Douglas Ankney
- California Court of Appeal Announces the People Are Not Entitled to Have Privately Retained Psychological Expert Testify at Trial of SVPA Petition, by Douglas Ankney
- Connecticut Supreme Court Announces ‘John Doe’ Warrant Based on Suspect’s General Description and Partial DNA Profiles, Which May or May Not Include Suspect’s DNA, Fails to Satisfy ‘Particularity Requirement’ of Fourth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- Tenth Circuit: Prisoner Convicted of Covered Drug Offense but Sentenced to Mandatory Life Sentence Via Cross Reference for Murder Under Pre-Booker Guidelines Has Standing to Request First Step Act Sentence Reduction, by Douglas Ankney
- NYC: The First DNA Gun Crimes Unit in America, by Harold Hempstead
- Traditional Forensic Ballistics Comparisons Giving Way to Virtual 3D Methods, by Casey Bastian
- Sixth Circuit: Unarmed Bank Robber Who Ordered Tellers to Get on the Floor Not Subject to Enhancement for Physical Restraint, by Matthew Clarke
- The National Registry of Exonerations 2021 Annual Report: 161 Exonerations Comprising 1,849 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, by Casey Bastian
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Ends Practice of Juvenile Courts Granting Continuances for Sole Purpose of Extending Delinquent’s Period of Detention, by Douglas Ankney
- Mislabeling of Marijuana Products Is a National Problem, by Kevin Bliss
- Review of Prior Research Identifies Three Main Sources of Bias in Jury Decision-Making Processes, by Casey Bastian
- Police Foundations: The Impossible Task of Separating the World of Policing From the World of Corporate Money, by Casey Bastian
- Charlotte Is Ground Zero for New FBI Asset Forfeiture Tip Line Program, by Casey Bastian
- People Convicted of Sex Crimes Remain Incarcerated 25 Years After Completing Their Prison Sentences, by Douglas Ankney
- Theft of Public Funds or Accounting Incompetence? Kansas Police Agencies Can’t Accurately Track Property Forfeitures, by Jacob Barrett
- News in Brief
More from Anthony Accurso:
- The Systematic Terror of Rankin County’s “Goon Squad”, May 1, 2026
- Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs, Feb. 1, 2026
- $939,000 for Nevada Prisoner Left in Wheelchair by Delayed Back Pain Treatment, Jan. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Affirms Exclusion of Plea Agreement’s Factual Basis, Holding Unaccepted “Type A” Plea Agreement Unenforceable to Trigger Waiver of Rule 410 Protections, Dec. 15, 2025
- America’s Deadliest Jails: Tarrant County Edition, Nov. 1, 2025
- Seventh Circuit Dismisses Jail Detainee Suicide Case for Lack of Showing Deliberate Indifference, Nov. 1, 2025
- Protecting Your Digital Privacy, Oct. 15, 2025
- Idaho Supreme Court Announces Warrantless Search of Civilly Committed Individual Violates Fourth Amendment, Oct. 15, 2025
- Michigan Supreme Court Announces Guidance on Standards for Search Warrants of Cellphones to Satisfy Particularity Requirement of Fourth Amendment That “Reasonably Direct” Search to Uncovering Evidence of Criminal Activity Identified in Warrant, Oct. 15, 2025
- Sixth Circuit: Erlinger Error Requires Resentencing Where Government Cannot Prove Beyond Reasonable Doubt That Jury Would Find Prior Offenses Committed on Different “Occasions”, Oct. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Supreme Court of Maryland Holds Officer Lacked Reasonable Suspicion for Traffic Stop Based on Acquaintance’s Tip Reporting Innocent Conduct, Reaffirming That “High-Crime Area” Testimony Must Be Particularized, July 1, 2026. Traffic stop, Motions To Suppress, Informants and Paid Witnesses, Reasonable Suspicion, Terry Stops.
- Crowdsourcing a Map to Track License Plate Surveillance, April 15, 2025. Traffic stop, Police State-Surveillance.
- California AB 2773 Requires Police to State Reason for Traffic Stops Before Questioning, May 15, 2024. Traffic stop, State Constitutional Claims, Pretextual Stops, Traffic Stops.
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Traffic Stop of Bicyclist Is Seizure Under Both Fourth Amendment and State Constitution Requiring Reasonable Suspicion of Crime or Probable Cause of Traffic Violation, March 15, 2024. Traffic stop, Seizure, Freedom of Movement, Traffic Stops.
- Calls for California Sheriff’s Department Oversight After Jail Deaths, $30,000 Settlement for Botched Traffic Stop, Sept. 15, 2023. Settlements, Police--Excessive Force, Traffic stop.
- St. Joseph County Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Two Misdemeanors for Driving Drunk at a 100 mph and Carrying Concealed Weapon While Drunk, June 23, 2023. Police Misconduct, Police Chases, Traffic stop, DUI.
- Memphis Police Beat Man to Death, June 15, 2023. Police--Excessive Force, Traffic stop.
- “I Can’t Breathe!” – California Reaches Record $24 Million Civil Rights Settlement in Fatal Police Custody Incident Two Months Before George Floyd Uttered Same Plea, May 11, 2023. Settlements, Police--Excessive Force, Traffic stop, DUI.
- Police Using GPS Sticky Darts to Avoid High-Speed Car Chases, April 15, 2023. Police Chases, Traffic stop.
- Idaho Supreme Court: Drug-Detection Dog Conducted Warrantless Search by Placing Paws on Exterior of Vehicle to Sniff for Drugs, April 15, 2023. Traffic stop, Drug-Sniffing Dog, Warrantless Searches.
