No. 18-643

Janette Dunkle v. Jennifer Dale, et al.

Lower Court: Ninth Circuit
Docketed: 2018-11-19
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: 14th-amendment 4th-amendment child-seizure circuit-court-precedent circuit-split civil-rights clearly-established constitutional-rights due-process fourteenth-amendment fourth-amendment qualified-immunity warrantless-seizure
Key Terms:
DueProcess FourthAmendment CriminalProcedure
Latest Conference: 2019-01-11
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Ninth Circuit erred in applying the narrow approach from Kirkpatrick, and whether Circuit-level opinions stating that an emergency is required to justify a warrantless child seizure are sufficient to clearly establish such law, or whether a Supreme Court decision is necessary

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED This Court has deliberately left open whether a U.S Supreme Court decision (as opposed to a Circuit Court decision) is required to “clearly establish” a constitutional right when refusing qualified immunity to a state official. Reichle v. Howards, 566 U.S. 658, 664666 (2012). But in guiding lower courts as to whether aright is “clearly established,” this Court has used language that allows both a narrow, case specific test and a broad, fair warning test.s (shown infra). As a result, lower court decisions have varied widely in their approach. (shown infra). Below, the Ninth Circuit held it was bound by the narrow approach taken in Kirkpatrick v. County of Washoe, 843 F.3d 784 (9th Cir. 2016). Kirkpatrick conflicts with the approach taken in other Circuits, as well as with other Ninth Circuit cases. (shown infra) Kirkpatrick also laments that “[nlo Supreme Court precedent defines when a warrant is required to seize achild.” Kirkpatrick, 843 F.3d at 793. The issue before this Court is whether the Ninth Circuit erred in applying the narrow approach from Kirkpatrick, and, if it did so err, whether any Circuit level opinions (which state plainly that an emergency is required to justify a warrantless child seizure) are sufficient to “clearly establish” such law—or whether a decision of this Court is necessary to “clearly establish” such law.1 1 Petitioner reserves for later argument that the termination proceeding was tainted by Dale’s false testimony and that

Docket Entries

2019-01-14
Petition DENIED.
2018-12-26
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/11/2019.
2018-12-11
Waiver of right of respondents Jennifer Dale, et al. to respond filed.
2018-11-14
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due December 19, 2018)

Attorneys

Janette Dunkle
Edward A Rose Jr.Edward A. Rose, Jr., Attorney at Law, PC, Petitioner
Edward A Rose Jr.Edward A. Rose, Jr., Attorney at Law, PC, Petitioner
Jennifer Dale, et al.
Kathryn Rebecca VogelState of Alaska, Respondent
Kathryn Rebecca VogelState of Alaska, Respondent