Registered Owner Suspension Justifies Traffic Stop
Today, the United States Supreme Court issued an interesting decision in a 4th Amendment case in Kansas v. Glover , 589 U.S. ____ (2020) (Docket No. 18-556). The fact scenario centered around a common, yet oft litigated, circumstance. A sheriff's deputy randomly ran the license plate of a truck he was behind. The computer showed the truck belonged to Glover and also showed that Glover's license was revoked. Assuming that Glover was driving, he stopped the truck. Glover was driving and he was charged. The trial court granted Glover's motion to suppress any evidence discovered after the stop and dismissed the charges. The Kansas Court of Appeals reversed. The Kansas Supreme Court reversed, finding that the stop violated the Fourth Amendment. The USSC, Justice Thomas writing for the majority, held: When the officer lacks information negating the inference that the owner is driving the vehicle, an investigative stop made after running the vehicle's license pla