Case v. Montana

Questions presented

SCOTUS records, cert granted 2 Jun 2025

Whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or whether the emergency-aid exception requires probable cause.

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

The Court held that the Fourth Amendment allows police to enter a home without a warrant when they have an objectively reasonable basis to believe someone inside needs emergency aid, and that no separate probable-cause requirement applies. Justice Kagan wrote that probable cause is tied to criminal investigations and does not fit this noncriminal emergency setting. Applying that standard here, the officers had enough reason to enter after a 911 call reporting suicidal threats, a possible gunshot, no response at the house, and signs suggesting the homeowner may have already shot himself. The Court therefore affirmed the Montana judgment, even though it did not fully adopt all of that court’s reasoning.