Tag: trash rip

Murphy Earns Five Star Review for Illegal Search and Seizure WIN

“In a society where privacy is in a perpetual state of decay, Colin has gone above and beyond what most lawyers have dreamt of accomplishing. He has changed the state’s law in a way that benefits anyone that recognizes and appreciates the protections the 4th amendment gives us. His proven superior understanding and passion for defending the erosion of expectation of privacy sets him far ahead of all others. If you find yourself in a situation where your right to unreasonable search and seizure has been violated, look no further. You won’t find anyone better than Colin Murphy.”

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Charges Dismissed Following Trash Rip Suppression

Maybe the timing is coincidental, but GRL Law secured a dismissal of all charges in State v. Wright on the same day the Iowa Supreme Court reaffirmed the constitutional underpinning of trash rips in State v. Kuuttila. One might think that this line of cases would be the last word on the issue.  But if you read the dissent, then you’ll see that the minority clearly wants to overrule a precedent that is barely four months old.   In fact, they go as far as to encourage city councils and even the Iowa General Assembly to revive the now illegal police […]

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Murphy Presents at NORML ISU Chapter Meeting

On October 13, 2021 GRL Law’s own Colin Murphy spoke before a packed room of cannabis activists at the ISU Memorial Union. The presentation for NORML ISU focused on the current status of marijuana and cannabis extracts.  Colin discussed what not to do during traffic stops.  He also reviewed important driver rights to assert during detention and arrest. GRL’s firm culture emphasizes public outreach especially when it comes to emerging legal issues like cannabis.  Our attorneys regularly take part in educating the general public, criminal defense bar and bench. Presentations like this are what sets GRL Law apart as the […]

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Evidence Suppressed Following Trash Rip Remand

Readers of the blog are no doubt aware of GRL Law’s work on warrantless garbage searches.  Earlier this summer, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the police practice unconstitutional in State v. Wright, but remanded the case to the district court for a second look at the warrant. This time the district court could not consider any of the evidence seized during the trash rips in determining probable cause. The result? The only information that survived the Supreme Court’s ruling was uncorroborated hearsay.  That information itself was months old. There was no choice but to invalidate the warrant.  That means all […]

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Drug Charges Resulting from a Trash Rip Search Warrant? Call GRL Law

If you are facing drug charges arising from a trash rip search warrant, then you should call the drug defense attorneys at GRL Law. GRL Law pioneered the novel legal challenge to the admissibility of evidence seized from these search warrants in State v. Wright.  Police can no longer trespass onto your personal property to gather information.  Iowans also have a constitutionally recognized expectation of privacy in garbage set out for curbside collection. Many attorneys are simply unaware of these recent developments and may overlook the necessary pretrial challenges. Don’t plead guilty to any charges following a search warrant based on […]

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GRL Law Wins Landmark Search and Seizure Case Before Iowa Supreme Court

In State v. Wright, the Iowa Supreme Court recently banned warrantless searches of curbside trash.  This landmark ruling puts an end to an investigative technique used by police for decades.   The issues before the Iowa Supreme Court were matters of first impression.  The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law are the first to ever raise the issue of trespass onto a constitutionally-protected “effect” in Iowa. We are also the first to persuade an Iowa appellate court to find an expectation of privacy in uncollected garbage. Prior to Wright, police wantonly searched household garbage set out for collection.  This was often […]

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