Quote from Tsing Tao:
I'm not a lawyer, so perhaps someone who is can correct me. But I was under the impression that the police did not need a warrant if they had "Probable Cause" of a crime being committed. In this case, the smell of pot is the Probable Cause.
Picture the scene: Cops are outside the apartment of a man who is stabbing his wife. They hear the screams, but cannot enter because they are waiting on a judge to approve the warrant??
Probable cause should not violate the 4th amendment, which in this case it clearly does. The police have a right to conduct a warrant-less search in a "public" place. Your home is not a public place. Judge Napolitano, an actual libertarian unlike some of the posers at ET, is in agreement with that fact of constitutional law.
Below is a cut and paste:
In the criminal arena probable cause is important in two respects. First, police must possess probable cause before they may search a person or a person's property, and they must possess it before they may arrest a person. Second, in most criminal cases the court must find that probable cause exists to believe that the defendant committed the crime before the defendant may be prosecuted.
There are some exceptions to these general rules. Police may briefly detain and conduct a limited search of a person in a public place if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime. Reasonable suspicion is a level of belief that is less than probable cause. A police officer possesses reasonable suspicion if he has enough knowledge to lead a reasonably cautious person to believe that criminal activity is occurring and that the individual played some part in it. In practice this requirement means that an officer need not possess the measure of knowledge that constitutes probable cause to Stop and Frisk a person in a public place. In any case, an officer may not arrest a person until the officer possesses probable cause to believe that the person has committed a crime.
The requirement of probable cause for a Search and Seizure can be found in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states, the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be searched.
All states have similar constitutional prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The requirement of probable cause works in tandem with the warrant requirement. A warrant is a document that allows police to search a person, search a person's property, or arrest a person. A judicial magistrate or judge must approve and sign a warrant before officers may act on it. To obtain a search or arrest warrant, officers must present to the magistrate or judge enough facts to constitute probable cause. A warrant is not required for all searches and all arrests.
Edit: Judge Napolitano did not write the above opinions.