News

MI: Common law rule on resisting unlawful police entry into the home not abrogated

FourthAmendment.com - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08

The legislature did not clearly overrule the common law that a homeowner may resist an unlawful entry into his home. Defendant was charged with obstruction after struggling with police officers who entered his house. The state carries the burden of showing that the officers entered legally. People v. Moreno, 2012 Mich. LEXIS 463 (April 20, 2012):

In this case, we review whether defendant was properly charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer under MCL 750.81d after defendant struggled with officers who had entered his home unlawfully. To resolve this issue, we must address whether MCL 750.81d abrogates the common-law right to resist illegal police conduct, including unlawful arrests and unlawful entries into constitutionally protected areas. We conclude that the statute did not abrogate this right.

While the Legislature has the authority to modify the common law, it must do so by speaking in "no uncertain terms." Neither the language of MCL 750.81d nor the legislative history of this statute indicates with certainty that the Legislature intended to abrogate the common-law right to resist unlawful arrests or other invasions of private rights. We cannot presume that the Legislature intended to abrogate this right. Therefore, we overrule People v Ventura, 262 Mich App 370, 686 NW2d 748 (2004), to the extent that it held that the Legislature affirmatively chose to modify the traditional common-law rule that a person may resist an unlawful arrest. Because the Court of Appeals in this case relied on Ventura and extended its holding to the context of illegal entries of the home, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand this matter to the trial court. On remand, we instruct the trial court to grant defendant's motion to quash the charges on the basis of its ruling that the officers' conduct was unlawful.

. . .

In this case, the Court of Appeals held that "[t]he fact that defendant refused entry to the officers unless they obtained a search warrant is indicative of defendant's knowledge of their status as police officers and that they were engaged in the performance of their official duties." There is no question that defendant knew that the men at his door were police officers. However, the officers wanted to enter defendant's home without a warrant, and one of the officers physically prevented defendant from closing the door to his home. Accordingly, defendant's refusal to allow the officers into his home is not conclusive of whether defendant had reasonable cause to know that the officers were "engaged in the performance of their official duties." Consistently with the common-law rule, we conclude that the prosecution must establish that the officers' actions were lawful.

. . .

IV. CONCLUSION

While the Legislature has the authority to modify the common law, it must do so by speaking in "no uncertain terms." Neither the language of MCL 750.81d nor the legislative history of this statute indicates with certainty that the Legislature intended to abrogate the common-law right to resist unlawful arrests or other unlawful invasions of private rights. We cannot presume that the Legislature intended to abrogate this right. Therefore, we overrule Ventura to the extent that it held that the Legislature affirmatively chose to modify the traditional common-law rule that a person may resist an unlawful arrest.

There is a lot to be said for making the police think twice before a spurious entry into somebody's house, and that's what the common law does.

Ariz. family says they won't stop looking for girl

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- The family of an Arizona girl who went missing from her bedroom over the weekend said they will never give up looking for the 6-year-old....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

Day in pictures: 24 April 2012

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Twenty-four hours of news photos: 24 April
Categories: BBC, News

New York City portrayed online in 870,000 images

AP - U.S. News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
NEW YORK (AP) -- The two men were discovered dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft in a 12-story Manhattan building, as if dumped there, one man sprawled on top of the other....
Categories: Associated Press, News, US

Tymoshenko 'is on hunger strike'

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian ex-PM serving a prison sentence for abuse of office, is on hunger strike, her lawyer says.
Categories: BBC, News

Plans for asteroid mining emerge

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Details emerge of a plan to mine asteroids for their resources backed by film director James Cameron and Google billionaires Larry Page and Eric Schmidt.
Categories: BBC, News

VIDEO: CCTV shows girl falling through pavement

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
A teenage girl has had a remarkable escape after she fell into an underground cavern in northern China. The teenager was walking by a road in the city of Xi'an when she suddenly vanished through the pavement and had to be rescued.
Categories: BBC, News

How Klimt's art got everywhere

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
A hundred and fifty years after he was born, why does the work of Gustav Klimt still hold mass appeal?
Categories: BBC, News

Italy deal over Indian fishermen

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
The families of two Indian fishermen, killed in firing by two Italian marines in February, reach an agreement with the Italian authorities to withdraw their court cases.
Categories: BBC, News

Dutch PM: Crisis must be tackled

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
A day after the fall of his government, Dutch PM Mark Rutte urges MPs to react "responsibly" to the country's economic problems.
Categories: BBC, News

Dull village seeks Boring link

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Perthshire village of Dull tries to form partnership with the US town of Boring to highlight its unexciting name
Categories: BBC, News

Club suspends rape case tweeter

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
A Sheffield United team-mate of Ched Evans is suspended over alleged Twitter comments after the jailed Wales international's rape conviction.
Categories: BBC, News

Sudan accused of 'declaring war'

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir says Sudan has "declared war" on his country, following weeks of fighting along their common border.
Categories: BBC, News

Rangers fans voice outrage at SFA

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Rangers supporters groups are outraged by penalties imposed on their club by the Scottish Football Association.
Categories: BBC, News

European stocks regain composure

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
European shares recover slightly from Monday's sharp falls as investors shake off rising Spanish bond yields and worsening forecasts of Greek economic contraction.
Categories: BBC, News

VIDEO: Test flying a human-powered plane

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Bang Goes The Theory's Jem Stansfield attempts to build a plane which is kept in the air by the energy of his own pedalling.
Categories: BBC, News

Five arrested in anti-terror raid

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Five men aged between 21 and 35 are arrested in Luton on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Scotland Yard says.
Categories: BBC, News

Nigeria reveals '$6bn fuel fraud'

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Nigeria's parliament discusses a report said to reveal that $6bn (£4bn) has been defrauded from the country's fuel subsidy fund in the past two years.
Categories: BBC, News

Tough football draws for Team GB

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Great Britain's women's football team will open the Olympic Games against New Zealand, while the men face Senegal in their first game.
Categories: BBC, News

Mubarak officials face poll ban

BBC - News - Sun, 2026-05-10 22:08
Egypt's ruling generals approve an amendment to the electoral law that would bar senior officials from the Mubarak era from running for president.
Categories: BBC, News
Syndicate content