No. 25-7007

Steven Tilden Fellmy v. United States

Lower Court: Sixth Circuit
Docketed: 2026-03-11
Status: Pending
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: criminal-procedure fourth-amendment police-canine search-and-seizure vehicle-search warrantless-search
Latest Conference: 2026-04-17
Question Presented (from Petition)

I. Is the act of a police canine placing its paws on the paint and window sills of a car to stick its nose inside a car to sniff, and, after the canine handler specifically told the canine to "up", a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

II. Can a police canine that is too small to perform its duties properly be given a pass to violate the Fourth Amendment?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a police canine's placement of its paws on a vehicle's exterior surfaces to conduct a warrantless sniff constitutes a Fourth Amendment violation, and whether a canine handler's deliberate direction of an undersized canine to perform such a search provides justification for the intrusion

Docket Entries

2026-03-26
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/17/2026.
2026-03-24
Waiver of United States of right to respond submitted.
2026-03-24
Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
2026-03-06
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due April 10, 2026)

Attorneys

Steven Fellmy
Jeffrey C. RagerRager Law Firm, Petitioner
United States
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent