Court Opinion

ID: 9521158
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 01:59:04.833598+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:46:42.169295
License: Public Domain

N. PATRICK CROOKS, J.
¶ 26. (concurring). I agree with the majority opinion that the search warrant, absent the oath requirement, violates both the federal and state constitutions. I write separately only to explain further why the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule does not apply.
¶ 27. As the majority opinion recognizes, we adopted the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule in State v. Eason, 2001 WI 98, 245 Wis. 2d 206, 629 N.W.2d 625. Majority op. at ¶ 24. After an extensive review of United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984), and the development of the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule in this court, we held that suppression was not necessary when police officers reasonably relied upon a warrant issued by an independent magistrate, even though the "no-knock" portion of the warrant was constitutionally infirm. Eason, 2001 WI 98, ¶ 73. In adopting the good faith exception, we also recognized, however, that the good faith exception has parameters1. Id. at ¶¶ 36, 64, 66. In Leon, the United States Supreme Court set out four circumstances where *545even though an officer has obtained a warrant and abided by its terms, exclusion may be appropriate. 468 U.S. at 923; see also Eason, 2001 WI 98, ¶ 36. The good faith exception does not apply: (1) where the issuing magistrate has been knowingly misled; (2) where the issuing magistrate wholly abandoned his or her judicial role; (3) where the application is so lacking in indicia of probable cause as to render reliance upon it unreasonable; and (4) where the warrant is so facially deficient that reliance upon it is unreasonable. Leon, 468 U.S. at 923; see also Eason, ¶ 36.
¶ 28. The facts of this case fall squarely within the fourth exception to the good faith exception. A warrant that totally lacks an oath or affirmation is so facially deficient that reliance upon the warrant is unreasonable. An officer, who obtains or executes a. search warrant unsupported by an oath or affirmation, cannot reasonably rely on that warrant. Accordingly, the good faith exception does not apply and exclusion is appropriate.2
*546¶ 29. Furthermore, although not dispositive in finding reliance on the warrant unreasonable, it cannot be overlooked that here, the same officer obtained and executed the warrant. In examining whether there was objectively reasonable reliance, "we look to the conduct of all the officers associated with the warrant." Eason, 2001 WI 98, ¶ 66 n.33. Here, only one officer was involved. The fact that the officer who failed to sign and swear to the truth of the affidavit is the same officer who executed the facially invalid warrant simply adds to the unreasonableness of the rebanee.
¶ 30. Although I agree with the majority that the search warrant in this case is constitutionally infirm, I would not summarily dismiss the State's argument under the good faith exception. This case presents an opportunity to clarify further the good faith exception in Wisconsin, by explaining the circumstances under which an officer may obtain and execute a warrant according to its terms, but exclusion remains appropriate because the warrant was facially deficient, making the officer's reliance on the warrant unreasonable.
¶ 31. For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully concur.
*547¶ 32. I am authorized to state that Justice WILLIAM A. BABLITCH and Justice JON E WILCOX join this opinion.

 Based on the Wisconsin Constitution,
*545we require that in order for the good faith exception to apply, the State must show that the process used attended to obtaining the search warrant include a significant investigation and a review by a police officer trained in, or very knowledgeable of, the legal vagaries of probable cause and reasonable suspicion, or a knowledgeable government attorney.
State v. Eason, 2001 WI 98, ¶ 63, 245 Wis. 2d 206, 610 N.W.2d 208. Accordingly, in Wisconsin, the good faith exception must be applied.within the parameters of United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984), as well as the additional parameters we adopted in State v. Eason, 2001 WI App 98, ¶ 63, 245 Wis. 2d 206, 610 N.W.2d 208.

 I agree with the majority's decision not to apply the good faith exception used in United States v. Richardson, 943 F.2d 547 (5th Cir. 1991) or United States v. Moore, 968 F.2d 216 (2d *546Cir. 1992). Both cases are distinguishable because it was the magistrate's inadvertent failure to place the law enforcement officer under oath, or require an oath, that caused the warrants in those cases to be constitutionally infirm. See Richardson, 943 F.2d at 550-551; Moore, 968 F.2d at 223. Furthermore, the officer in Moore signed the search warrant application whereas the officer in this case failed to sign and swear to the truth of the affidavit. See Moore, 968 F.2d at 220.