June 14, 2011 - 10:56am
Tomorrow morning, I will appear before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to argue in support of the Fourth Amendment. In the case of State of Maine v. Ronald Laplante, the Law Court (the other name for the Maine SJC, which is used when they are deciding cases) is being asked to decide whether a police stop of a motorcycle was justified. Normally, the police are allowed to stop motorists when they have a specific reason for believing that the motorist may have done something wrong, or in connection with a roadblock that stops everyone. In this case, neither of those were present.
I will be arguing that the Court should hew to those established principles and not create yet another exception to the Fourth Amendment rights of motorists. The Fourth Amendment is a safeguard for what Justice Brandeis once described as the "most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized" people--the "right to be left alone."
The argument is at nine am in the brand new Penobscot County Judicial Center, which I've heard is a fantastic facility. If you live in the area, and are interested, please consider coming and watching--Courts are open to the public, and I would love the support.
