State Supreme Court takes on 2 new cases

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court will take two new cases this term.

Dakter v. Cavallino, 2013AP1750, is a motor vehicle negligence case that stems from an accident involving a car and semi-truck in Juneau County. At issue is whether the superior skills doctrine applies such that a commercial truck driver is held to a higher standard than an ordinary driver.

The second case, State vs. Houghton, 2013AP1581-CR, focuses on whether a traffic stop based on a police officer’s misunderstanding of the law violates the Fourth Amendment or the Wisconsin Constitution and whether the evidence collected from that stop should be suppressed. The court is reviewing State vs. Houghton in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Heien vs. North Carolina, No. 13-604, which held that reasonable suspicion, even based on a mistaken understanding of the law, is sufficient reason for a traffic stop if the officer’s mistake is objectively reasonable.

According to a news release, the court on Thursday also denied review of 54 cases.