Court sides with state trooper over fatal shooting
By Sam Hananel
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Monday sided with a Texas state trooper who was sued after he fatally shot a man fleeing from officers during a 2010 high-speed chase outside Amarillo.
The court ruled that Trooper Chadrin Mullenix cannot be held liable for the death of Israel Leija Jr. after shooting at his car from a highway overpass.
The unsigned opinion reversed a lower court decision that allowed a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of Leija's family against Mullenix to go forward.
Mullenix said he shot at the car in an attempt to disable it after Leija led police on a 25-mile chase that reached speeds over 100 miles an hour, was reported to be intoxicated and had twice called a police dispatcher threatening to shoot officers if they did not stop pursuing him.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying Mullenix had no training in shooting to disable a vehicle, fired at the car less than a second before it hit spike strips deployed to stop it and acted against the order of his superior officer, who told him to wait.
Sotomayor said the court was sanctioning a "'shoot first, think later' approach to policing."
But the majority said that Mullenix did not wait out of concern that Leija might try to shoot or run over officers manning the spike strips. Evidence showed that four of Mullenix's shots struck Leija's upper body, killing him. The car continued traveling over the spikes, hit the median and rolled over.
The justices said it was not "clearly established" that Mullenix used excessive force "by selecting one dangerous alternative over another."
A federal district court ruled that there were issues of fact as to whether Mullenix acted recklessly or as a reasonable officer would in similar circumstances. A federal appeals court agreed that there were questions about how immediate the risk was to officers.
Leija fled police after they tried to arrest him for a probation violation. Mullenix testified that he radioed his superior officer with the idea of shooting at the car to disable it. Before receiving a response, Mullenix got out of his car and took a shooting position on the overpass.
The supervisor, Sgt. Robert Byrd, told Mullenix to "stand by" and "see if the spikes work first." Mullenix testified that he didn't hear the order, but Leija's family argued that he could have heard the radio from where he was standing.
The case is Mullenix v. Luna, 14-1143.
Justices reject Cleveland's appeal over 'jock tax'
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the city of Cleveland over its formula for taxing visiting professional athletes for their work in the city.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the city's method of taxing athletes based on the share of all their games that are played in Cleveland violates players' due process rights.
The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the city must assess taxes based on players' Cleveland work as a share of their total number of working days per year, not just their games, as is common elsewhere. The ruling said the city unfairly imposed a 2 percent income tax on ex-Chicago Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer.
The city argued that its method was a reasonable interpretation of the law.
Court won't hear challenge over nonprofit donor lists
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear a dispute over California's requirement that nonprofit groups turn over the names of major donors.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the state has a right to review donor lists to determine whether a group is actually involved in charitable activities.
The conservative Center for Competitive Politics argued that the review violates donors' right to privacy and freedom of association under the First Amendment.
A federal appeals court rejected the group's challenge in May, finding there was no indication the state was trying to harass donors or discourage them from contributing.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris said donor lists were for official review only and would not be released to the public.
Published: Wed, Nov 11, 2015
