The Supreme Court ruled today that police who search cars for evidence of a crime during traffic stops are not violating a Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. The case involved two men who were convicted of drug possession when Washington, DC vice officers searched their car after stopping them for a traffic violation. In a separate decision, the Court also ruled today that even defendents who leave the country to escape criminal prosecution are entitled to challenge forfeiture of their property in court. That case involved an alleged drug dealer whose property was seized after he escaped charges by moving to Switzerland. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.
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