The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that Montana police acted lawfully when they entered the home of William Case without a warrant during an emergency that officers believed might be unfolding inside.
The case stemmed from a 2021 incident in which officers went to Case’s home after receiving a call from his former girlfriend, who feared he might have killed himself. Officers knocked on the door but got no response before they entered.
According to court documents cited in the case, an officer fired after Case threw open a closet curtain while holding an object that appeared to be a gun. A handgun was later found in a nearby laundry basket.
Case was charged with assaulting an officer, and he argued in court that evidence against him should be thrown out because officers did not have a warrant. The Montana Supreme Court rejected that contention, finding that officers needed only to reasonably suspect someone required emergency help.
Case appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and asked the justices to require a higher probable-cause standard, similar to what applies in criminal investigations. The justices rejected the request.
In the opinion, the court said the standard set by Montana’s highest court was too low, but it concluded that the officers’ actions were still “objectively reasonable” under a standard from a previous U.S. Supreme Court case.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote that entering during an emergency does not authorize police to search beyond what is needed to help and keep officers safe.
The ruling leaves in place the principle that warrantless entries may be justified when officers face an emergency threat, while also emphasizing limits on what police can do once inside.