Supreme Court sides with Montana police on warrant requirements during emergencies

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sided with Montana police on Wednesday in a case over when officers can enter a home without a warrant if an emergency might be unfolding inside.

The unanimous high court found officers acted lawfully when they went into the home of William Case, who was shot and wounded after officers entered his home in 2021.

Police were responding to a call from Case’s former girlfriend, who feared he might have killed himself. They entered his home after knocking on the door produced no response. An officer fired after Case threw open a closet curtain while holding an object that looked like a gun, according to court documents. A handgun was later found in a nearby laundry basket.

Case was charged with assaulting an officer but argued that the evidence against him should be tossed out because officers didn’t have a warrant.

The Montana Supreme Court disagreed, finding that the officers needed only to reasonably suspect someone required emergency help. Case appealed to the justices and asked them to require a higher probable cause standard, similar to criminal investigations.

The justices rejected that argument. They found that the standard set by the state’s highest court was too low but that the Montana officers’ actions were nevertheless “objectively reasonable” under a standard set in a previous Supreme Court case.

The opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan noted that entering during an emergency doesn’t allow police to search beyond what’s needed to help and keep officers safe.