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Birchfield v. North Dakota

United States Supreme Court
136 S. Ct. 2160 (2016)

Facts

Birchfield, Bernard, and Beylund (defendants) were each arrested for drunk driving. Birchfield refused a warrantless blood-alcohol-concentration (BAC) blood test and was charged with a crime for doing so. Bernard refused a warrantless BAC breath test and was charged with a crime for doing so. Beylund was convicted of drunk driving and had his license suspended after he submitted to a warrantless BAC blood test. Beylund agreed to the test because the administering police officer told him that the law required him to do so. The United States Supreme Court consolidated the cases and granted certiorari to determine the applicability of the Fourth Amendment to these charges.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Alito, J.)

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  • A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
  • A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
  • The procedural disposition (e.g. reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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Concurrence/Dissent (Thomas, J.)

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Concurrence/Dissent (Sotomayor, J.)

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