On Point blog, page 1 of 143
COA: Reasonable suspicion for traffic stop after report to police that vehicle hit road barrier and officer observed “unusual” driving behavior
State of Wisconsin v. Jonathan G. Berbaum, 2025AP1380-CR, 2/25/26, District II (ineligible for publication); case activity
The COA affirmed the circuit court’s order denying the defendant’s motion to suppress the fruits of a traffic stop, which included evidence that led to his conviction for operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a third offense. The COA found that a witness’s report that a vehicle hit a barrier, combined with the defendant’s erratic driving, provided reasonable suspicion to suspect the driver was operating while intoxicated.
SCOW holds that ESP was not acting as government agent when it scanned files for CSAM
State v. Andreas W. Rauch-Sharak, 2026 WI 4, 2/24/26, on certification from the court of appeals; case activity
SCOW holds that Google’s search of Rauch-Sharak’s files was a private search, slightly clarifies that legal test, and affirms.
Defense win: COA suppresses evidence from warrantless blood draw, vacates OWI conviction
State v. Brandon J. Taff, 2024AP373, 2/17/26, District III (ineligible for publication); case activity
COA reverses Taff’s conviction on the basis that his warrantless blood draw was not justified by exigent circumstances, and therefore should have been suppressed.
COA holds that exclusionary rule does not apply to evidence of defendant’s flight from police after traffic stop was allegedly unlawfully extended.
State of Wisconsin v. Alsherrife Mire, 2024AP2481-CR, 2/4/26, District II (recommended for publication); case activity
In a decision recommended for publication, the COA affirmed the circuit court’s order denying the defendant’s motion to suppress the fruits of his allegedly unlawfully extended traffic stop because evidence of his flight from police was not derived from the stop.
COA affirms circuit court’s finding of reasonable suspicion for traffic stop resulting in OWI 3rd
State v. Troy A. Wry, 2023AP561, 2/3/26, District III (ineligible for publication); case activity
Wry appeals his conviction for OWI 3rd, arguing the circuit court erred by denying his motion to suppress evidence because law enforcement lacked reasonable suspicion that Wry had committed, or was committing, an offense sufficient to conduct an investigatory stop of his vehicle. COA affirms.
COA affirms traffic stop for reasonable suspicion of noise ordinance violation
State v. Jacobe Michael Gimmel, 2025AP1037 & 2025AP1537, 1/29/26, District IV (ineligible for publication); case activity
Gimmel appeals his conviction for OWI 2nd and the revocation of his driver’s license for refusing a chemical test. The sole issue in the consolidated appeal is whether the officer who stopped Gimmel had reasonable suspicion to do so. COA affirms, concluding the officer had reasonable suspicion that Gimmel had violated a local noise ordinance.
SCOTUS reverses decision granting new homicide trial and accepts cert. to review geofence warrants; while Justice Jackson dissents from shutting courthouse door to prison inmates.
In its January 2026 orders, SCOTUS reminds the Fourth Circuit about AEDPA deference in reversing decision ordering a new trial and grants certiorari to determine whether a geofence warrant violates the Fourth Amendment, while Justice Jackson dissents from banning frequent inmate filers from commencing a case without paying the filing fee.
SCOTUS applies emergency aid exception to warrant requirement “without further gloss;” declines to adopt probable cause standard
Case v. Montana, USSC No. 24-624, 1/14/2026, affirming Montana v. Case, 2024 MT 165, 417 Mont. 354, 553 P.3d 985; Scotusblog page (with links to briefs and commentary)
SCOTUS unanimously holds that Brigham City v. Stuart‘s objective reasonableness standard for warrantless home entries to render aid applies “without further gloss” and was satisfied here. While SCOTUS affirms the Montana Supreme Court’s judgment, the Court does not adopt the lower court’s reasoning in full.
In eagerly-awaited decision, SCOW holds that police did not exceed scope of previously conducted “private search” of suspected CSAM
State v, Michael Joseph Gasper, 2026 WI 3, 1/14/26, affirming a published decision of the court of appeals (on other grounds); case activity
In a narrow decision, SCOW holds that law enforcement did not exceed the scope of a private search conducted on a file uploaded by Gasper to Snapchat account which allegedly contained CSAM and affirms.
COA: OWI suspect was not under arrest when transported to police station to perform field sobriety tests.
State of Wisconsin v. Brenda L. Roszina, 2024AP898, 1/13/26, District I (ineligible for publication); case activity
COA affirms the circuit court’s order denying the defendant’s motion to suppress the fruits of field sobriety tests because the investigatory stop did not ripen into an arrest without probable cause when police transported the defendant from a parking lot to the police station one mile away to perform the tests.