Published on: Friday, January 13, 2023

With warrant, Cleveland police searched a suspected drug dealer's house. Out on the street, an officer peers into the tinted windows of a car of a person found in the suspected dealer's home—but the car was not mentioned in the warrant—and sees what he suspects is a "bag of dope." Officers tow the car but don't get a warrant. Turns out it, indeed, was "dope." Man: the search of my car is unconstitutional because police need a warrant. Police: we don't need a warrant because drugs were in plain view and here's a video of officers peering into the car and the photo taken inside the car. District court: search is good. Sixth Circuit: search is bad. Only evidence the officer had for probable cause was a hunch. That's not enough. Conviction vacated.

The case is United States v. Loines, No. 22-3073 (6th Cir. Jan. 6, 2023).