Powell v. Secretary of State

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

614 A.2d 1303 (1992)

Relevant factsFree

After a district court suppressed evidence from Powell's (plaintiff) traffic stop in his DUI criminal case on Fourth Amendment grounds, the Secretary of State (defendant) separately suspended his license based on his blood-alcohol test results; at Powell's administrative hearing challenging the suspension, the hearing officer ruled the exclusionary rule didn't apply to administrative proceedings and upheld the suspension. The superior court vacated that decision, holding the exclusionary rule did apply, and the Secretary appealed.

IssueFree

Whether the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule applies to administrative license-suspension hearings.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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