Supreme Court watch

An important case is coming up before the Supreme Court next month:

Meet Dudley Hiibel. He's a 59 year old cowboy who owns a
small ranch outside of Winnemucca, Nevada. He lives a simple life, but
he's his own man. You probably never would have heard of Dudley Hiibel
if it weren't for his belief in the U.S. Constitution. One balmy May
evening back in 2000, Dudley was standing around minding his own
business when all of a sudden, a policeman pulled-up and demanded that
Dudley produce his ID. Dudley, having done nothing wrong, declined. He
was arrested and charged with "failure to cooperate" for refusing to
show ID on demand. And it's all on video. On the 22nd of March 2004,
the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Dudley and the rest of us
live in a free society, or in a country where we must show "the papers"
whenever a cop demands them.

When I was a young lad, my parents instilled in me a healthy distrust
for cops and other so-called authority figures. In my experience
dealing with these people, it is essential to know one's rights.
Protocol and procedure are generally the only language police officers
understand, so employing terms such as "Reasonable Suspicion", "Terry
Stop", and "Probable Cause" is the only way to effectively communicate
with them.
As of now, it is assumed that identification can only be requested
given probable cause. If the Supreme Court decides in favor of the
Humboldt County, Nev. it will mean all Americans will be required to
carry identification at all times, and failure to produce said
identification will be grounds for arrest.
It might not seem like it at first glance, but this is a big case.
Let's keep our eyes on it.

"I'm investigating an investigation."
- Humboldt County Deputy Lee Dove

Posted by flow Frazao on February 19, 2004 at 08:57 AM | Permalink