United States v. Henry Rogers — 4th Cir. (Oct 29, 2026)
A West Virginia traffic stop leads to a dispute about a police dog's paws. Henry Rogers pleaded guilty in the resulting federal drug case, but he is challenging the refusal to exclude evidence from the stop. During the sniff, the dog repeatedly touched the outside of his car. The Fourth Circuit considers whether that contact turned the sniff into a search under the Fourth Amendment. The question involves a distinction between smelling the air around a vehicle and physically intruding on someone's property to obtain information.
United States v. Henry Rogers (No. 25-4465) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued October 29, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — official Fourth Circuit recording, October 29, 2026:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/25-4465-20261029.mp3
Official argument calendar — No. 25-4465:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/cal/internetcalOct272026.pdf
Traffic stop and guilty plea — U.S. Attorney, Southern District of West Virginia, May 7, 2025:https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/cabell-county-man-pleads-guilty-federal-drug-crime
Property-based search protection — United States v. Jones, Supreme Court majority opinion:https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/10-1259
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