Heien v. North Carolina
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-604 | N.C. | Oct 6, 2014 | Dec 15, 2014 | 8-1 | Roberts | OT 2014 |
Holding: A police officer"s reasonable mistake of law gives rise to reasonable suspicion that justifies a traffic stop under the Fourth Amendment.
Judgment: Affirmed, 8-1, in an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts on December 15, 2014. Justice Kagan filed a concurring opinion, in which Justice Ginsburg joined. Justice Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: Reasonable mistakes of law by police do not violate the Fourth Amendment (Rory Little, December 16, 2014)
- Argument analysis: A simple answer to a deceptively simple Fourth Amendment question? (Rory Little, October 8, 2014)
- Argument preview: How many brake lights need to be working on your car? (Rory Little, October 3, 2014)
- Petition of the day (Maureen Johnston, April 1, 2014)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 11/13/2013 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 18, 2013) |
| 12/06/2013 | Waiver of right of respondent North Carolina to respond filed. |
| 12/06/2013 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, rreceived from counsel for the respondent. |
| 12/18/2013 | Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed. (Distributed) |
| 12/24/2013 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 10, 2014. |
| 01/06/2014 | Response Requested . (Due February 5, 2014) |
| 01/29/2014 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including March 7, 2014. |
| 03/07/2014 | Brief of respondent North Carolina in opposition filed. |
| 03/18/2014 | Reply of petitioner Nicholas Brady Heien filed. |
| 03/19/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of April 4, 2014. |
| 04/07/2014 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of April 18, 2014. |
| 04/21/2014 | Petition GRANTED. |
| 05/13/2014 | The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including June 9, 2014. |
| 05/13/2014 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including July 14, 2014. |
| 05/22/2014 | Order further extending time to file respondent's brief on the merits to and including July 21, 2014. |
| 05/22/2014 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioner. |
| 05/28/2014 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the respondent. |
| 06/09/2014 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed.) |
| 06/09/2014 | Brief of petitioner Nicholas Brady Heien filed. |
| 06/16/2014 | Brief amicus curiae of Gun Owners Foundation, et al. filed. |
| 06/16/2014 | Brief amici curiae of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, et al. filed. |
| 06/16/2014 | Brief amici curiae of Professors Charles E. MacLean & Adam Lamparello filed. |
| 06/16/2014 | Brief amicus curiae of Rutherford Institute filed. |
| 07/09/2014 | Record requested from Supreme Court of North Carolina. |
| 07/14/2014 | Record received from the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The record is electronic. |
| 07/18/2014 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Monday, October 6, 2014 |
| 07/21/2014 | Brief of respondent North Carolina filed. |
| 07/28/2014 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed. |
| 07/28/2014 | Brief amicus curiae of the United States filed. |
| 07/28/2014 | Brief amici curiae of Wisconsin, et al. filed. |
| 07/28/2014 | Brief amici curiae of The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, et al. filed. |
| 08/07/2014 | CIRCULATED. |
| 08/20/2014 | Reply of petitioner Nicholas Brady Heien filed. (Distributed) |
| 08/29/2014 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED. |
| 10/06/2014 | Argued. For petitioner: Jeffrey L. Fisher, Stanford, Cal. For respondent: Robert C. Montgomery, Senior Deputy Attorney General, Raleigh, N. C.; and Rachel P. Kovner, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) |
| 12/15/2014 | Adjudged to be AFFIRMED. Roberts, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Kagan, J., filed a concurring opinion, in which Ginsburg, J., joined. Sotomayor, J., filed a dissenting opinion. |
| 01/16/2015 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |