The work we do as lawyers is important. This holds especially true when we are tasked with the ever-difficult endeavor of protecting a person from intrusions upon their Constitutional rights. Because after all, that in-of-itself is a protection of our Constitution, and a protection of the Rule of Law, which mandates that we cannot be governed by arbitrary decisions of police or other government officials. But rather, we must be ruled by the law itself.
Our most recent victory stems from defending a client's 4th Amendment rights. After being accused of being in possession of over 100 pounds of marijuana, Mr. Donald Barnes turned to our firm and entrusted us to fight against the felony charges brought against him. We have been ferociously fighting for Mr. Barnes for over two years. During that time, we have come to know Mr. Barnes very well - he too is a fighter. Where many others would have given up and accepted a plea, Mr. Barnes unwaveringly held his ground.
It's for that reason that we are so happy to announce that our fight for Mr. Barnes has not been in vain and that we have helped maintain Mr. Barnes' innocence. As of yesterday, the case against Mr. Barnes was won. All charges against Mr. Barnes have been dismissed with prejudice grounded upon the Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team's failure to have probable cause to obtain the three search warrants used to intrude upon Mr. Barnes' home and other properties.
This is proof that the constitutional requirements of probable cause are not to be reckoned with - no matter the circumstances. With its recent decision in this case, the Court has sent a message that is loud and clear; our Constitutional rights have a boundary that will not be crossed!