Martin v. United States was heard at US Supreme Court 4/29/2025. The
justices were sympathetic to the family in the house that an FBI SWAT
team wrongfully raided.
I love this bit.
The government says judges shouldn't be second-guessing
decisions made in the absence of a specific policy and Martin
can't sue over an honest mistake. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals agreed, tossing out the lawsuit in 2022.
Both liberal and conservative justices appeared skeptical of the
government's position, with Justice Neil Gorsuch asking
incredulously, "No policy says, 'Don't break down the door of
the wrong house? Don't traumatize its occupants?'"
The Supreme Court may reverse the 11th Circuit in part, which would
return it to lower courts for more litigation.
We may get a very narrow ruling favorable to the family, but not a broad
ruling making it easier to sue the government when it commits a tort.
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-fbi-raid-wrong-house-df4fd6235660a67e4b34a1f790c674ca
The SCOTUSBLOG article summarizes more of the facts, like this tidbit:
But Guerra had not confirmed the address on the homes mailbox
before authorizing the start of the raid.
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/justices-appear-sympathetic-to-victims-of-swat-raid-on-the-wrong-house/
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