Supreme Court declines to review race-based seizure case

The Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a case that raised significant questions about whether a person's race can be considered when determining if a police encounter constitutes a seizure under the Fourth Amendment. The decision leaves in place a ruling from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals that vacated the firearm and theft convictions of Donte Carter.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the court's refusal to hear the case, United States v. Carter, arguing the lower court's approach creates a dangerous and constitutionally problematic standard. In a written dissent, Alito, joined by Thomas, warned that the D.C. court's reasoning forces law enforcement to apply different rules based on a person's race, contradicting the principle that the Constitution is "colorblind" and "almost never" allows the government to treat individuals differently based on race.

The case stems from a 2020 incident in Washington, D.C., where police officers, after hearing gunshots, approached a group of people. An officer asked Carter if he was armed and then requested he hike up his pants. Carter complied, and officers observed an L-shaped bulge in his groin area....