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Steven Tilden Fellmy v. United States
IFP petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, No. 25-5381 · judgment January 23, 2026
Question presented
I. Is the act of a police canine placing its paws on the paint and windowsills of a car to stick its nose inside a car to sniff, and, after the canine handler specifically told the canine to “up”, a violation of the Fourth Amendment. II. Can a police canine that is too small to perform its duties properly be given a pass to violate the Fourth Amendment?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Jeffrey C. Rager
Rager Law Firm
For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General
Case
Subject area
Criminal Procedure (estimated from the questions presented, in the Supreme Court Database’s categories)
Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference
Order
Order list, April 20, 2026 · Certiorari denied
Proceedings
- Apr 20 2026Petition DENIED.
- Mar 26 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/17/2026.
- Mar 24 2026Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Mar 06 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due April 10, 2026)