Wednesday, January 10, 2007

U.S. v. Crapser (9th Cir. - Jan. 10, 2007)

Here's a quiz.

One of the judges on the Ninth Circuit begins his or her dissent in this case with the following line: "The majority opinion weakens our Fourth Amendment protections -- whatever is left of them."

You gotta love those last four, totally unnecessary, words. Classic. And totally indicative of their author.

Even without a hint, you might well be able to guess which of the fifty active and senior judges on the Ninth Circuit penned those words. In theory, you've only got a two percent chance of getting it right. But I bet that many, many observers could nonetheless identify the author on the first guess.

Want a hint? I'll tell you on the panel: Goodwin, Reinhardt, and Graber.

That should seal it.