In what may be the sleeper case of the term, a Nevada rancher asks the Supreme Court to rule that people stopped for questioning by the police do not need to reveal their identifications. The case presents a novel legal question: How far can police go in demanding a person's identity, when officers suspect a crime has been committed but lack the probable cause needed to make an arrest?
- A ruling for the rancher would limit the ability of police to demand a citizen's identification when there's no arrest.
- A ruling for the state and the police would broaden police power to demand an ID, and some civil liberties lawyers contend such authority would allow the police to use the name to scan databases, searching for some other reason to make an arrest.