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Criminal Procedure Keyed to Ohlin
Groh v. Ramirez
Citation:
540 U.S. 551 (2004)Facts
Respondents, Joseph Ramirez and members of his family, live on a large ranch in Montana. Petitioner, Jeff Groh, has been a Special Agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) since 1989. In February 1997, a concerned citizen informed petitioner that on a number of visits to respondents’ ranch the visitor had seen a large stock of weaponry. Based on that information, petitioner prepared and signed an application for a warrant to search the ranch. Although the application particularly described the place to be searched and the contraband petitioner expected to find, the warrant failed to identify any of the items that petitioner intended to seize. It did, however, recite that the Magistrate was satisfied with affidavit established probable cause to believe that contraband was concealed on the premises, and that sufficient grounds existed for the warrant’s issuance. The day after the warrant was issued, petitioner led a team of law enforcement officers, but they did not uncover any illegal weapons or explosives.
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Topic Resources
Topic Outline
Fourth AmendmentTopic Refresher Course
WarrantsTopic Charts & Notes
Search Warrant Exceptions