Chief Justice Roberts wants to make America like Soviet Union
At least that's what the effect would be if he had his way and the court had granted certiorari in Virginia v. Harris, 08-1385.
http://www.ktvq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11346027
The case involves a man who was pulled over and arrested for driving while intoxicated. The Virginia State Supreme Court threw out the conviction, because the arresting officer had no cause to pull the motorist over other than an anonymous phone tip.
The driver did fail sobriety tests, and the officers claims to have smelled alcohol on his breath. The officer noted that the driver gave no visible indication by his driving that he was in fact intoxicated, nor did he break any traffic laws while being observed. Since the officer had no cause to pull the driver over to corroborate the anonymous tip, the State Supreme Court threw out the conviction.
Chief Justice Roberts decried the High Court not taking up the case, as allowing drivers "one free swerve" before they have to be stopped. He claimed this one swerve might be the one that kills someone.
Apparently, Chief Justice Roberts would prefer an America where anyone can be picked up, stopped, questioned, delayed, frisked, searched, and otherwise harassed, merely because someone else called in an "anonymous" tip. I guess he didn't know what life was like in Soviet Russia where people lived in fear of their neighbors calling in such tips and never knowing when or where they might be needlessly accosted by police.
To be sure in this case, the tip was correct, but setting the precedent and opening that Pandora's box we all know is a road we don't want to travel down. My only hope is that one day, Justice Roberts will experience being harassed by the American Stazi on the back of an anonymous tip. Maybe then he will get the message. Sadly, he might be one of the fools that will be thankful for the stop. Traitors like him never seem to feel the full brunt of tyranny.
Thankfully, there are a Virginia Supreme Court and other Justices on the US Supreme Court, who understand Liberty and take seriously their oath to the Constitution.
