United States v. Vincent Anthony Magda

In reversing the District Court’s order granting the defendant’s motion to suppress, the majority today concludes that a police officer can make an investigatory stop based on a combination of entirely innocent factors. Since the majority decision sets a new minimum standard for the “reasonable suspicion” necessary to justify such a stop, I respectfully dissent.

The Government does not dispute the fact that this so-called “investigative stop” was protected by the Fourth Amendment which bars unreasonable searches and seizures.1 In circumstances such as these, where a person is stopped by a…