In an 8-1 decision Monday, the Supreme Court said that police did not violate the Fourth Amendment barring “unreasonable searches and seizures” when they smelled marijuana outside a Lexington, Kentucky apartment, knock loudly, announced themselves and — after hearing what they thought was the sound of evidence being destroyed — entered without a warrant.The case, Kentucky v. King, stemmed from an incident where police followed a suspected drug dealer into an apartment complex but entered another man’s apartment after smelling the drugs. According to The New York Times, the majority opinion “assumed there was good reason to think evidence was being destroyed, and asked only whether the conduct of the police had impermissibly caused the destruction.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=111500