Jaelen M. Johnson v. United States

In addition to warrants issued by a judicial officer, the Military Rules of Evidence (Mil. R. Evid.) allow a military commander to authorize searches of persons and property. The commanders granting these search authorizations are not required to have legal training or experience and, instead, receive advice from a prosecutor on whether to approve the search. The question presented is: Does the Leon good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule apply when law enforcement relies on a commander’s probable cause determination if that commander has no legal training or education and received advice from the same prosecutor who advised law enforcement?