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"...even the wicked get worse than they deserve." - Willa Cather, One of Ours

Monday, March 22, 2004

Hiibel Thumpers: The Supreme Court is suspicious

Slate (Liberal)  
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The Supreme Court hears oral argument this morning in the "drunken cowboy" case, a privacy dispute that has the conspiracy nuts in a tailspin and me in trouble with my Civil Procedure professor.
Hiibel was the drunken cowboy parked alongside a Nevada highway who refused to reveal his identity to a policeman, after being told plainly that the cop was "investigating an investigation." Actually, the police had received a call describing Hiibel's truck and location and saying that a couple were apparently having a fight inside. So, yes, the policeman had a reasonable suspicion when he approached Hiibel. But he didn't share that information with the suspect. The question for the Supreme Court this month is whether the police could demand Hiibel's identity, and without more than his refusal, arrest the cowboy for obstructing their work.


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