High court OKs no warrant blood draws in drunken driver case
Posted June 27, 2019 7:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says law enforcement officers can generally draw blood without a warrant from an unconscious person suspected of driving drunk or while on drugs.
The high court issued its ruling Thursday in a case involving a Wisconsin law about impaired driving.
The question before the Supreme Court had to do with what happens when a motorist suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is unconscious, generally as a result of a crash. Wisconsin law said that in that case, blood can be drawn even without a warrant.
Lawyers for a driver who had blood drawn under those circumstances had argued Wisconsin's law violates the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures.
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