Papers Please

For John, BLUF:  The United States used to be different.  Unlike Germany when we first arrived there, in 1967, where to stay in the Eiflerhof Hotel over night we had to let the clerk send our passports down to the police station.  Maybe things are getting back to "normal".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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An Unconstitutional Arrest for Refusing To Show ID to the Cops

Here is the sub-headline:

Fourth Amendment advocates prevail in Wingate v. Fulford.

From Reason Magazine, by Reporter Damon Root, 8 February 2021, 1:08 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

In an important win for Fourth Amendment advocates, a Virginia man's arrest for refusing to show identification to the police has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal appellate court.

The case is Wingate v. Fulford.  George Wingate was driving in Stafford County, Virginia, in the early morning hours of April 25, 2017, when his car's engine light came on.  A former mechanic, Wingate pulled over, popped the hood, and began checking things out.  Stafford County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Fulford, who happened to be cruising by, noticed the parked vehicle and pulled over to offer his assistance.

That's when things took a turn for the worse for Wingate.  According to the deputy's account, he became suspicious of Wingate and demanded to see some form of identification.  Wingate, who had done nothing wrong, flatly refused.  The officer's mic captured their exchange of words:

I like the outcome.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff