Case v. Montana

Case v. Montana
Supreme Court of the United States
Full case name	William Trevor Case, Petitioner v. Montana
Docket no.	24-624
Case history
Prior	Defendant convicted. State v. Case, Case No. 21-100 (2023). Affirmed. 553 P.3d 985 (Mont. 2024). Cert. granted. 605 U.S. ___ (2025).
Questions presented
Whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or whether the emergency-aid exception requires probable cause.

Case v. Montana (No. 24-624) is a pending United States Supreme Court case regarding the scope of the Fourth Amendment’s “emergency aid” exception—specifically, whether police may enter a home without a warrant based solely on a reasonable belief that someone inside needs help, or whether probable cause is required.^[1]

In September 2021, William Trevor Case was at home in Bozeman, Montana, during what his partner reported as a mental health crisis. She called 911 saying Case was suicidal, describing a loud "click" like a gun and then silence on the line. Officers arrived and tried repeatedly to call out and make contact, but received no response. Concerned someone inside might be hurt or dead, they entered the home without a warrant under the "emergency aid" exception to the Fourth Amendment. Inside, police found Case conscious and uninjured, but also observed evidence of methamphetamine.^[2]

After the warrantless entry, Case was charged with drug offenses based on the methamphetamine evidence found in his home. He filed a motion to suppress, arguing that the police violated his Fourth Amendment rights because they entered without a warrant or probable cause of any actual emergency. The Montana trial court denied the motion, holding that officers had an objectively reasonable belief that someone inside needed emergency aid. Case was convicted. He appealed to the Montana Supreme Court, which affirmed the trial court’s ruling. That court applied the “emergency aid” exception as articulated in past U.S. Supreme Court decisions, holding that officers do not need probable cause of an actual emergency, only an objectively reasonable basis to believe someone needs help.^[2]

On December 4, 2024, Case petitioned the United States Supreme Court for review. On June 2, 2025, the Court granted certiorari. The matter will be heard during the Court's October 2025 term, with a decision expected by the summer of 2026.^[3]