Pubdate: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Copyright: 2000 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas Contact: http://www.star-telegram.com/ Forum: http://www.star-telegram.com/comm/forums/ SEARCHES -- THE SUPREME COURT REVIEWS TWO FOURTH AMENDMENT CASES It was a busy first week for the Supreme Court. Returning to a docket peppered with search-and-seizure cases, the justices have a prime opportunity to inject clarity into their Fourth Amendment analysis. Two of the cases before the court last week were City of Indianapolis vs. Edmond, which questions the constitutionality of having an anti-narcotics dog sniff around the perimeter of a car stopped at a police roadblock; and Ferguson vs. City of Charleston, which looks at the legality of a hospital program that checked pregnant women for cocaine use and turned positive tests over to the police for potential prosecution. Recent jurisprudence in this area is all over the map, with the court advancing arguments both protective and restrictive of the police. In oral arguments before the court, several justices expressed concern about the use of drug-sniffing dogs in Indianapolis but seemed to back off that criticism when the search was put into the context of a general license and registration check. The court has grappled with what expectation of privacy a motorist enjoys, creating a series of seemingly contradictory standards. The Indianapolis case is an overly broad attempt to combat drugs. Widespread, random searches without reason are untenable, however admirable the law enforcement impetus is. The court should reject the city's argument. The Charleston case is equally troubling, involving medical officials in law enforcement. Although the tests were ostensibly to protect an unborn fetus, which under South Carolina law is considered a person after 24 weeks, many women were checked after giving birth, nullifying any protective purpose. Doctors and nurses should not be turned into criminal investigators. Test the women, and urge them to attend drug counseling. But turning hospitals into police precincts will simply deter women from getting the medical help that they and their unborn children so desperately need. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager