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HOT CASES:

U.S. SUPREME COURT CASES: (Click on case name for summary).

Unanimous holding: public employees can be terminated for untruthfulness to their superiors or to internal affairs investigators.
LACHANCE v. ERICKSON, 118 S. Ct. 753 (1998).

Unanimous holding: Fourth Amendment does not hold officers to a higher standard when a "no-knock" entry results in destruction of property; officers acted reasonably in breaking in, based on reasonable suspicion of danger.
UNITED STATES v. RAMIREZ, 118 S. Ct. 992 (1998). [AELE, joined by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), filed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in this case on behalf of law enforcement.]

Holding: A police officer does not violate substantive due process by causing death through deliberate or reckless indifference to life in a high-speed automobile chase aimed at apprehending a suspected offender. Only a purpose to cause harm unrelated to the legitimate object of arrest will satisfy the element of arbitrary conduct shocking to the conscience, necessary for a due process violation.
COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO v. LEWIS, 118 S. Ct. 1708 (1998).

Holding: The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-to-4 ruling, held that the Exclusionary Rule does not apply to parole revocation hearings. The Rule would apply to a subsequent criminal trial, for offenses committed while on parole, if police officers conduct an illegal search of a parolee's person or premises.
PENNSYLVANIA BOARD OF PROBATION & PAROLE V. SCOTT, 118 S. Ct. 2014 (1998).

Unanimous holding: Giving a public official a gift is not a federal crime unless the donor requests or expects a specific official action in exchange.
UNITED STATES v. SUN-DIAMOND GROWERS OF CALIFORNIA, No. 98-131, 119 S. Ct. 1402 (April 27, 1999).