WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed inclined to expand when officers can enter a suspect's home without a warrant.
The court has previously said that an officer in “hot pursuit” of a suspect believed to have committed a felony crime can enter the person's home without a warrant if the person goes inside.
On Wednesday, the court was debating whether the same is true if the officer is pursuing the person over a misdemeanor. The case is important both to law enforcement and to groups concerned about privacy.
Several justices, both liberal and conservative, suggested that making a distinction between felony and misdemeanor cases would be difficult and problematic. “The problem with trying to separate misdemeanor and felony is