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.