United States Supreme Court Decides to Hear ACLU-EM Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

ST. LOUIS, MO — The United States Supreme Court announced this morning that it will hear the State of Missouri v. McNeely. The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri represents Tyler McNeely.

In October 2010, Tyler McNeely was accused of driving above the speed limit and crossing the centerline. He was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, where a blood sample was forcibly taken even though McNeely stated that he would not consent to having his blood drawn for an alcohol test and the officer did not have a warrant.

“The Missouri Supreme Court was correct when it ruled that this was an infringement of the fourth amendment, which protects individuals from warrantless searches,” said Brenda L. Jones, executive director of the ACLU-EM.

“The Missouri Supreme Court got this right when they ruled in McNeely’s favor,” said Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU-EM. “This will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to decide for every state whether a warrant is required before blood is forcibly taken from a suspect.”

The ACLU-EM is a non-partisan, not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of civil liberties in eastern Missouri. Located in St. Louis, the ACLU-EM is an affiliate of the national ACLU.