Opinion ID: 3000841
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hollingsworth’s Motion to Suppress

Text: The government argues that the district court erred by granting Hollingsworth’s motion to suppress because school officials did not violate her constitutional rights when they interviewed T.H. about her prior statement to Westerfield. Hollingsworth responds that Officer Denny violated her right to familial relations by having Hoyt 2 On Counts One and Two, McCotry was sentenced under 21 U.S.C. § 844(a), which states, “[A] person convicted under this subsection for the possession of a mixture or substance which contains cocaine base shall be imprisoned not less than 5 years and not more than 20 years, and fined a minimum of $1,000, if the conviction is a first conviction under this subsection and the amount of the mixture or substance exceeds 5 grams.” Nos. 06-3198 & 06-3623 7 interview T.H. without Hollingsworth’s permission and for the sole purpose of pursuing a criminal investigation. We review the district court’s ruling on this issue de novo. See United States v. Davis, 15 F.3d 1393, 1415 (7th Cir. 1994) (“Whether the government has stepped beyond permissible constitutional bounds in attempting to enforce the law is a legal question.”). The district court relied on the dissenting opinions in United States v. Penn, 647 F.2d 876, 885 (9th Cir. 1980), to conclude that the school officials in this case violated Hollingsworth’s due process rights. In Penn, the Seattle police had been investigating Clara Penn for two years on suspicion that she was distributing heroin. Officers executed a search warrant at Penn’s house and found a quantity of cocaine but could not locate any heroin. Penn’s children, ranging in ages from five to twenty-two, were all present and taunted the police, making it clear that they knew about their mother’s drug-related activities. At one point during the search, one of the officers took the youngest child, Reggie, to use the bathroom and asked him if he knew where his mother hid the balloons of heroin. Reggie indicated that he did, but hesitated to reveal their location. After the officer offered Reggie five dollars, Reggie took the officer to a spot in the backyard where the heroin was buried. The Ninth Circuit heard the case en banc and, in a 5-4 decision, held the evidence admissible. It rejected Penn’s substantive due process argument, noting that “the police may pay informants to give information; very young children may aid criminal investigations; and sons may inform or testify against mothers.” Id. at 880. The court stated that even though all three factors were present at once, there was no due process violation. It also held that the police did not violate Penn’s Fourth Amendment rights. Id. at 883. 8 Nos. 06-3198 & 06-3623