U.S. Supreme Court to Review Va. Anti-Drug Policy January 28, 2003
News Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether an anti-drug policy in Richmond, Va., violates the U.S. Constitution, the Washington Post reported Jan. 25.The policy prohibits unauthorized visitors with no "legitimate business or social purpose" from the streets and sidewalks of Richmond's public-housing complexes. The regulation was enacted in 1997 as part of a crackdown on open-air drug markets.
The U.S. Supreme Court case stems from a 1999 conviction of Kevin L. Hicks, who tried to visit his girlfriend and their child at the Whitcomb Court apartment complex despite earlier police warnings to stay away. In 2001, Hick was convicted of a drug charge.
Hicks appealed his conviction, and the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in his favor. The state filed the appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court expects to rule on the case by the end of June. The ruling would address the issue of balance between a person's right to be free from police harassment against the rights of communities to be safe from drug-related crime.
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