The Supreme Court of the United States handed down a new decision yesterday, Rodriguez v. United States, which is extremely helpful in criminal procedure. In essence, the Court held that a person who has been stopped for a traffic violation cannot be detained for longer than the time necessary for the traffic stop, and absent reasonable suspicion, the person does not have to wait for a K-9 officer to arrive to perform an unrelated sniff test.
The Supreme Court decision can be found here.
The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School has published a great summary and analysis of the case, which can be found here.
Tags: 4th Amendment Drugs K-9 Rodriguez Rodriguez v. United States Search and Seizure SOCTUS Supreme Court Traffic Stop