State v. Gerald P. Mitchell
State v. Gerald P. Mitchell
Dissenting Opinion
¶ 87 A blood draw is a particularly intrusive search. It invades the interior of the human body and implicates interests in human dignity and privacy. Schmerber v. California,
¶ 88 The police took Gerald Mitchell's blood without a warrant while he was unconscious. According to the lead opinion
¶ 89 Contrary to the lead opinion, I determine that "implied consent" is not the same as "actual consent" for purposes of a Fourth Amendment search. By relying on the implied consent laws, the lead opinion attempts to create a statutory per se exception to the constitutionally mandated warrant requirement. Thus, it embraces a categorical exception over the constitutionally required consideration of the totality of the circumstances. Consent provided *173solely by way of an implied consent statute is constitutionally untenable.
¶ 90 Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.
I
¶ 91 Mitchell was arrested for operating while intoxicated. En route to a nearby hospital, he lost consciousness. Despite Mitchell's incapacitation, a police officer read him the Informing the Accused form. Mitchell provided no response because he was unconscious. The officer then directed hospital staff to draw a sample of Mitchell's blood, and they did so. Mitchell remained unconscious as his skin was pierced and his blood taken.
¶ 92 Seeking to exclude the evidence obtained as a result of the blood draw, Mitchell filed a motion to suppress. He premised his motion on the contention that the warrantless taking of his blood while he was unconscious violated his Fourth Amendment rights.
¶ 93 The lead opinion rejects Mitchell's argument, concluding that the consent exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement applies. Lead op., ¶ 3. According to the lead opinion, Mitchell "voluntarily consented to a blood draw by his conduct of driving on Wisconsin's roads and drinking to a point evidencing probable cause of intoxication."
II
¶ 94 The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution protect against unreasonable searches and seizures. State v. Eason,
¶ 95 One such exception to the warrant requirement is a search conducted pursuant to consent. State v. Artic,
¶ 96 The lead opinion's conclusion is based on Wisconsin's implied consent laws, one subsection of which provides that any *174person operating a motor vehicle in Wisconsin "is deemed to have given consent to one or more tests of his or her breath, blood or urine" when requested to do so by a law enforcement officer in certain circumstances.
¶ 97 Another subsection specifically addresses the situation where a driver is unconscious. Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(3)(b) provides that "[a] person who is unconscious or otherwise not capable of withdrawing consent is presumed not to have withdrawn consent under this subsection." It further states that a law enforcement officer may administer a breath, blood, or urine test if probable cause exists that the driver has committed any of a list of offenses.
¶ 98 In determining whether the warrantless taking of a blood draw from an unconscious person pursuant to
¶ 99 Birchfield emphasized the invasive nature of a blood test, which is significant for Fourth Amendment purposes. See
¶ 100 The Birchfield court further addressed the precise circumstances that have arisen in this case:
It is true that a blood test, unlike a breath test, may be administered to a person who is unconscious (perhaps as a result of a crash) or who is unable to do what is needed to take a breath test due to profound intoxication or injuries. But we have no reason to believe that such situations are common in drunk-driving arrests, and when they arise, the police may apply for a warrant if need be.
¶ 101 This language compels a single conclusion: law enforcement needed a warrant here. First, the State concedes that there were no exigent circumstances that would justify a departure from the warrant requirement.
*175¶ 102 Unlike the lead opinion, I would follow, rather than attempt to overrule, the court of appeals in State v. Padley,
[T]he implied consent law is explicitly designed to allow the driver, and not the police officer, to make the choice as to whether the driver will give or decline to give actual consent to a blood draw when put to the choice between consent or automatic sanctions. Framed in the terms of "implied consent," choosing the "yes" option affirms the driver's implied consent and constitutes actual consent for the blood draw. Choosing the "no" option acts to withdraw the driver's implied consent and establishes that the driver does not give actual consent.
¶ 103 That implied consent and actual consent are separate and distinct concepts is confirmed by an analysis of recent United States Supreme Court precedent in addition to Birchfield.
¶ 104 Indeed, the Supreme Court implied such a broad application of McNeely in Aviles v. Texas,
¶ 105 " Aviles suggests that McNeely should be read broadly to apply to all *176warrantless blood draws and that the Texas implied consent statute was not a per se exception to the Fourth Amendment justifying warrantless blood draws." Brar,
¶ 106 The upshot of these United States Supreme Court cases is that reliance on an implied consent statute to provide actual consent to a Fourth Amendment search violates McNeely 's requirement that each blood draw in a drunk driving case be analyzed on a case by case basis. The implied consent statute attempts to create a per se exception to the warrant requirement. Of course, categorical consent is by definition not individualized.
¶ 107 The lead opinion employs the simple act of driving an automobile as justification for a search. The untenability of the lead opinion's position is aptly illustrated by Justice Kelly's concurrence in Brar,
¶ 108 Further, the lead opinion errs by relying not on a constitutionally well-recognized exception to the warrant requirement, but instead on a Wisconsin statute, to curtail constitutional protections. By seeking to create a statutory, per se consent exception to the warrant requirement, the lead opinion further steps into a minefield. See lead op., ¶¶ 53-55 (asserting that Mitchell "forfeited the statutory opportunity to withdraw the consent to search that he had given.").
¶ 109 A blood draw is plainly a "search" for Fourth Amendment purposes. Birchfield,
¶ 110 I therefore conclude that implied consent is insufficient for purposes of a Fourth Amendment search. As the court of appeals explained in Padley, the implied consent law does not authorize searches. Rather, it authorizes law enforcement to require a driver to make a choice: provide actual consent and potentially give the state evidence that the driver committed a crime, or withdraw implied consent and *177thereby suffer the civil consequences of withdrawing consent. Padley,
¶ 111 A person who is unconscious cannot make this choice. Because he was unconscious, Mitchell did not react to the Informing the Accused Form when law enforcement presented him with his options. He exhibited no "words, gestures, or conduct" that would indicate his actual consent to a blood draw. See Artic,
¶ 112 Because consent provided solely by way of an implied consent statute is not constitutionally sufficient, I determine that the results of Mitchell's blood draw must be suppressed. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.
¶ 113 I am authorized to state that Justice SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON joins this dissent.
I join paragraphs 1-2 and 4-28 of the lead opinion.
The dissent believes Birchfield has already answered this question, and therefore concludes my "analytical exercise ultimately fails because it cannot be reconciled with Birchfield 's central holding: 'a breath test, but not a blood test, may be administered as a search incident to a lawful arrest for drunk driving.' " Dissent, ¶ 101 n.6 (quoting Birchfield v. North Dakota, --- U.S. ----,
But there is an even more important reason the dissent should be chary of finding such a categorical prohibition in that precedent: Birchfield is not comfortable in its own skin. Its central logic is actually self-contradictory, which explains why both the court and the dissent are able to call on it for support. If the Supreme Court had endorsed implied-consent laws as sufficient to authorize a breath or blood test (as our court says), then it would have held that implied consent justified the breath test. But it didn't. It said the "search incident to arrest" exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement justified the breath test. On the other hand, if Birchfield forbids blood draws pursuant to an implied-consent law, as the dissent claims, then such a law could not justify the breath test either, inasmuch as the law either provides constitutionally-sound consent for both, or for neither.
So I disagree with the dissent that I cannot reconcile my analytical exercise to Birchfield 's central holding. When the Supreme Court speaks with two contradictory voices in one opinion, the best we can do is follow its logic until it starts contending with itself. Here, that means Birchfield stands for the proposition that, with respect to conscious drunk-driving suspects, the "search incident to arrest" doctrine covers breath tests, but not blood draws. Because Mr. Mitchell was not conscious, Birchfield does not control the disposition of this case.
The right to refuse a search, and to revoke consent once given, has been a part of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence for a very long time. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte,
"[A] blood test, unlike a breath test, places in the hands of law enforcement authorities a sample that can be preserved and from which it is possible to extract information beyond a simple BAC reading. Even if the law enforcement agency is precluded from testing the blood for any purpose other than to measure BAC, the potential remains and may result in anxiety for the person tested." Birchfield v. North Dakota, 579 U.S. ----,
See State v. Tullberg,
The concurrence focuses on language in Birchfield stating a blood test's "reasonableness must be judged in light of the availability of the less intrusive alternative of a breath test." Birchfield,
Federal and state courts around the country have cited the "but not a blood test" language a multitude of times. See, e.g., Robertson v. Pichon,
For further in-depth analysis of this assertion, see State v. Brar,
The lead opinion's reliance on South Dakota v. Neville,
Opinion of the Court
*154¶ 1 This appeal is before us on certification from the court of appeals.
¶ 2 Gerald Mitchell was convicted of operating while intoxicated and with a prohibited alcohol concentration, based on the test of blood drawn without a warrant while he was unconscious, pursuant to
¶ 3 We conclude that Mitchell voluntarily consented to a blood draw by his conduct of driving on Wisconsin's roads and drinking to a point evidencing probable cause of intoxication. Further, through drinking to the point of unconsciousness, Mitchell forfeited all opportunity, including the statutory opportunity under
I. BACKGROUND
¶ 4 On the afternoon of May 30, 2013, officers from the City of Sheboygan Police Department were dispatched in response to a report that the caller had seen Mitchell, who appeared intoxicated, get into a gray van and drive away. Between 30 and 45 minutes later, Officer Alex Jaeger made contact with Mitchell. He found Mitchell walking near a beach. Mitchell was wet, shirtless and covered in sand. Mitchell's speech was slurred and he had difficulty maintaining his balance.
¶ 5 Mitchell admitted to Jaeger that he had been drinking prior to driving and that he continued drinking at the beach. He also stated that he had parked his vehicle "because he felt he was too drunk to drive." Nearby, officers found the gray van Mitchell was reported to have been driving.
¶ 6 After observing Mitchell's physical condition, Jaeger believed that it would not be safe to conduct standard field sobriety tests. Instead, he administered a preliminary breath test, which indicated a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.24.
¶ 7 Following his arrest, and during the drive to the police station, Mitchell's physical condition deteriorated and his demeanor became more "lethargic." Upon arrival *155at the police station, it became apparent that an evidentiary breath test would not be feasible. Instead, Jaeger opted to transport Mitchell to a nearby hospital for a blood draw.
¶ 8 During the approximately eight-minute drive to the hospital, Mitchell "appeared to be completely incapacitated, [and] would not wake up with any type of stimulation." Upon arriving at the hospital, Mitchell needed to be transported in a wheelchair where he sat "slumped over" and unable to maintain an upright seating position.
¶ 9 After Mitchell entered the hospital emergency room, Jaeger read Mitchell the Informing the Accused form, thereby reading Mitchell the statutory opportunity to withdraw his consent to a blood draw. However, Mitchell was "so incapacitated [that] he could not answer." Jaeger directed hospital staff to draw a sample of Mitchell's blood.
¶ 10 The blood draw occurred approximately one hour following Mitchell's arrest. The analysis of his blood sample showed a BAC of 0.222.
¶ 11 Mitchell was subsequently charged with driving with a prohibited alcohol concentration (PAC), as well as operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI), as a 7th offense. Prior to trial, Mitchell moved to suppress the results of the blood test. He alleged that the warrantless blood draw violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution.
¶ 12 In response to Mitchell's motion, the State contended that he had consented to the blood draw when he drove his van on Wisconsin highways according to a subsection of Wisconsin's implied-consent law,
¶ 13 The circuit court
¶ 14 Mitchell appealed his conviction based on the sole contention that the warrantless blood draw violated his Fourth Amendment right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures."
¶ 15 The court of appeals, noting the opportunity to clarify the law in light of our recent decision in State v. Howes,
II. DISCUSSION
A. Standard of Review
¶ 16 Whether a suppression motion was properly denied presents a question of constitutional fact. Howes,
B. Fourth Amendment General Principles
¶ 17 The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and its Wisconsin counterpart, Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution,
¶ 18 Drawing blood is a search of the person. Birchfield v. North Dakota, 579 U.S. ----,
¶ 19 However, "there are certain 'specifically established and well-delineated' exceptions to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement." Brar,
C. Consent
¶ 20 In determining whether consent was given, we employ a two-step process.
*157First, we examine whether relevant words, gestures or conduct supports a finding of consent. State v. Artic,
1. Implied Consent
¶ 21 As we have explained, consent to search need not be given verbally. State v. Phillips,
¶ 22 In addition, the United States Supreme Court has recently explained that consent also may be shown by the context in which consent arises. Birchfield,
¶ 23 In Jardines, the Court, through Justice Scalia, recognized the sanctity of the home and that at the "very core" of the Fourth Amendment "stands 'the right of a man to retreat into his own home and there be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion,' " and that this right extended to the curtilage of the home, including the home's front porch. Jardines,
¶ 24 However, the Supreme Court also said that the sanctity of the curtilage of one's home is not absolute and certain permissions to enter may be implied. Jardines,
¶ 25 The other decision referenced in Birchfield, Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc., noted that while generally the Fourth Amendment prohibits searches without a warrant, certain businesses and industries are subject *158to exception. Marshall,
¶ 26 The Fourth Amendment exception upheld in Colonnade was grounded in "unique circumstances" in that "[c]ertain industries have such a history of government oversight that no reasonable expectation of privacy, could exist for a proprietor over the stock of such an enterprise." Marshall,
¶ 27 Birchfield 's discussion of the relationship between context and consent instructs that context is part of the totality of circumstances that courts should review when consent to search is at issue. In regard to the context of highway regulation, we note that the statutes at issue here are the legislature's attempt to stop the injuries and deaths drunken drivers inflict year after year on others who use Wisconsin highways.
¶ 28 Some of the regulations to which drivers consent have never been challenged. For example, they agree to drive on the right side of the road,
¶ 29 Just as Wisconsin drivers consent to the above-listed obligations by their conduct of driving on Wisconsin's roads, in the context of significant, well-publicized laws designed to curb drunken driving, they also consent to an evidentiary drawing of blood upon a showing of probable cause to believe that they operated vehicles while intoxicated.
¶ 30 As acknowledged by the United States Supreme Court, driving on state highways is a privilege; it is not a right.
¶ 31 The United States Supreme Court recognized that implied consent laws are the context in which constitutionally sufficient consent for chemical testing may be given when it opined, "our prior opinions have referred approvingly to the general concept of implied-consent laws that impose civil penalties and evidentiary consequences on motorists who refuse to comply.... [N]othing we say here should be read to cast doubt on them." Birchfield,
¶ 32 Birchfield also established a "categorical" rule that a breath test does not implicate "significant privacy concerns," and therefore, a warrant is not *160needed to administer a breath test. Birchfield,
¶ 33 Birchfield went on to explain, "It is another matter, however, for a State not only to insist upon an intrusive blood test, but also to impose criminal penalties on the refusal to submit to such a test. There must be a limit to the consequences to which motorists may be deemed to have consented by virtue of a decision to drive on public roads." Birchfield,
¶ 34 Criminal penalties for withdrawing consent to a blood draw were beyond the scope of implied-consent laws because there was an insufficient nexus between the consequence of criminal penalties and choosing to drive on the highways in those states that imposed criminal penalties for withdrawing consent to provide a blood sample for testing.
¶ 35 Relevant to assessing future challenges to refusal to submit to a blood draw, the Supreme Court adopted the following standard: motorists are "deemed to have consented to only those conditions that are 'reasonable' in that they have a 'nexus' to the privilege of driving and entail penalties that are proportional to severity of the violation."
¶ 36 Wisconsin imposes no criminal penalties for withdrawing consent previously given. The only criminal consequence imposed for drunken driving in Wisconsin arises from repeated OWI and PAC convictions and from convictions for causing injury or death by intoxicated use of a vehicle. See generally
¶ 37 Accordingly, we confirm that because it is constitutionally permissible to impose civil penalties as a consequence for refusing to submit to a blood draw, as
¶ 38 Furthermore, we presume that drivers know the laws applicable to the roadways on which they drive. State v. Weber,
¶ 39 In Neville, the Supreme Court examined whether Neville's refusal to submit to a blood-alcohol test could be used as evidence of guilt for drunken driving at his trial. The circuit court of South Dakota had suppressed Neville's refusal to submit to a blood-alcohol test based on the circuit court's conclusion that evidence of refusal violated Neville's federal constitutional rights.
¶ 40 Of course, consent voluntarily-given before a blood draw may be withdrawn with or without a statutory reminder. United States v. Sanders,
¶ 41 The legitimacy of implied-consent laws has been supported repeatedly by the United States Supreme Court. In McNeely, the Court stated that "[n]o one can seriously dispute the magnitude of the drunken driving problem or the States' interest in eradicating it." McNeely,
*162¶ 42 Other states are in accord with our conclusion that drivers give constitutionally sufficient consent through driving on state highways and drinking to a point evidencing probable cause of intoxication. For example, the Supreme Court of Colorado held that warrants need not be obtained for unconscious drivers as the result of their previously-given consent under Colorado's "Expressed Consent Statute." People v. Hyde,
¶ 43 As judicial opinions of other states, as well as the United States Supreme Court's prior statements show, "[i]mplied consent is not a second-tier form of consent." Brar,
¶ 44 Those laws include
¶ 45 In the case before us, Mitchell chose to avail himself of the privilege of driving upon Wisconsin's roads. Because he did so while intoxicated, by his conduct he consented to the effect of laws that are relevant to exercising that privilege. He did not need to read them off one-by-one, and then sign a piece of paper acknowledging his consent to be subject to those rules and penalties for failing to follow them. By driving in Wisconsin, Mitchell consented to have samples of his breath, blood or urine taken upon the request of a law enforcement officer who had probable cause to believe he was intoxicated, unless he withdrew such consent.
2. Voluntary Consent
¶ 46 A determination that consent has been given is not the end of our inquiry, we also must determine whether the consent was given "freely and voluntarily." Artic,
¶ 47 "The test for voluntariness is whether consent to search was given in the absence of duress or coercion, either express or implied."
*163Phillips,
¶ 48 In making a determination of voluntariness, the State bears the burden to prove by clear and convincing evidence that consent was given voluntarily.
¶ 49 Consent to search that arises in the context of Wisconsin's implied-consent laws is voluntary in one respect that is similar to the voluntariness of consent in Colonnade because Wisconsin has a long history of close governmental regulation of its highways in regard to drunken drivers. Stated otherwise, the privilege of driving on Wisconsin highways comes within the context of well-publicized requirements to provide samples of breath, blood or urine to law enforcement who have probable cause to believe that the driver is intoxicated.
¶ 50 We now further consider voluntary consent under four subsections of Wisconsin's implied-consent law at issue in the case before us:
a. Wisconsin Stat. §§ 343.305(2) & (3)(a)
¶ 51 The voluntariness of consent by conduct that occurs when a driver commences operation of his vehicle on Wisconsin roadways is unequivocal and constitutionally sufficient when he or she evidences the indicia of intoxication such that there is probable cause to believe he or she is driving under the influence. Stated otherwise, voluntary consent arises through the effect of a driver's conduct in the context of Wisconsin law,
¶ 52 Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(2) clearly provides, "[a]ny person who ... drives or operates a motor vehicle upon the public highways of this state ... is deemed to have given consent to one or more tests of his or her breath, blood or urine, for the purpose of determining the presence or quantity in his or her blood or breath, of alcohol, controlled substances...." A driver's consent is conditioned on probable cause to believe he or she is intoxicated or has caused serious injury or death. As
b. Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(4)
¶ 53 Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(4) provides a statutory opportunity to withdraw consent given under §§ 343.305(2) and (3)(a), when an officer has probable cause to arrest the driver. However, civil penalties may follow when consent is withdrawn. Section 343.305(4) provides in relevant part:
You have either been arrested for an offense that involves driving or operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs ... or you are the operator of a vehicle that was involved in an accident that caused the death of, great bodily harm to, or substantial bodily harm to a person....
This law enforcement agency now wants to test one or more samples of your breath, blood or urine to determine the concentration of alcohol or drugs in your system.... If you refuse to take any test that this agency requests, your operating privilege will be revoked and you will be subject to other penalties. The test results or the fact that you refused testing can be used against you in court.13
It is helpful to keep subsection (4) in mind when discussing
¶ 54 Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(4) provides a statutory opportunity to withdraw consent, even though a driver has operated a vehicle on Wisconsin roads and has imbibed sufficient alcohol to be arrested for OWI. Of course, one may withdraw consent previously given with or without a statutory reminder. See Sanders,
¶ 55 Here, Mitchell drank sufficient alcohol to render himself unconscious. He had a BAC of 0.222. It is no wonder that he passed out.
c. Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(3)(b)
¶ 56 Mitchell was unconscious when his blood was drawn. Wisconsin Stat. § 343.305(3)(b) addresses blood draws from unconscious persons who have not availed themselves of the statutory opportunity that is provided by § 343.305(4) or otherwise taken steps to withdraw consent. Some who are unconscious have imbibed sufficient alcohol or drugs to render themselves *165unconscious; others may be unconscious due to an injury sustained in an accident. Section 343.305(3)(b) provides in relevant part:
A person who is unconscious or otherwise not capable of withdrawing consent is presumed not to have withdrawn consent under this subsection, and if a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the person has violated s. 346.63(1) [driving while intoxicated], (2m) [underage drinking] or (5) [commercial driver] ... [or caused injury] one or more samples specified in par. (a) or (am) may be administered to the person.
¶ 57 The Fourth Amendment question is whether drawing Mitchell's blood while he was unconscious was unreasonable and therefore in violation of Fourth Amendment's prohibitions against unreasonable searches. Mitchell claims the blood draw was unreasonable because he was unconscious when the Informing the Accused form was read to him. The State claims that the blood draw was reasonable because Jaeger had arrested Mitchell for driving while intoxicated.
¶ 58 Mitchell's self-induced physical condition does not render
¶ 59 Therefore, under the totality of circumstances as applied to Mitchell,
¶ 60 Because we conclude that consent given by drivers whose conduct falls within the parameters of
¶ 61 The question that remains in regard to Mitchell is whether
¶ 62 We begin by noting that all drivers, by their conduct, consent to provide samples of their breath, blood or urine when requested by law enforcement personnel who have probable cause to arrest for driving while intoxicated.
¶ 63 Furthermore, the opportunity to refuse a blood test when there is probable cause to believe the driver is intoxicated is not of constitutional significance, as is shown by Supreme Court jurisprudence concluding that withdrawal of consent may be used as evidence of guilt at trial. State v. Crandall,
¶ 64 In addition,
¶ 65 For drivers for whom the presumption applies,
III. CONCLUSION
¶ 66 We conclude that Mitchell voluntarily consented to a blood draw by his conduct of driving on Wisconsin's roads and drinking to a point evidencing probable cause of intoxication. Further, through drinking to the point of unconsciousness, Mitchell forfeited all opportunity, including the statutory opportunity under
By the Court. -The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
All subsequent references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2013-14 version unless otherwise indicated.
Preliminary breath tests are not sufficient evidence to prove prohibited alcohol concentrations at trial.
There was no warrant sought prior to drawing Mitchell's blood.
The Honorable Terence T. Bourke of Sheboygan County presided.
The court of appeals, noting that two of its prior cases had reached opposite conclusions, asked us to clarify whether implied consent is equivalent to constitutionally sufficient consent. Compare State v. Padley,
"Historically, we have interpreted Article I, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution in accord with the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Fourth Amendment." State v. Arias,
The same is true across the nation. For example, it has been reported that in 2016 drunken driving took one life every 50 minutes in the United States. See National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Drunk Driving, https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving (last visited June 25, 2018).
Of course, probable cause to believe that a driver is operating while intoxicated is sufficient to arrest the driver.
Probable cause to believe that a driver operated a vehicle while intoxicated is required before the driver must provide samples of breath, blood or urine.
The point in time when a driver consents has been described in various ways based on the facts of the case and the arguments of counsel. For example, in Wintlend,
In State v. Neitzel,
Justices Shirley Abrahamson, Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Grassl Bradley and Daniel Kelly manufacture a constitutional right to refuse blood-draws to test for blood-alcohol content of drivers who operate vehicles while intoxicated, notwithstanding the United States Supreme Court's clearly stated explanation in South Dakota v. Neville,
We note that other circumstances are impacted by Wisconsin implied consent law that we do not discuss here. See
Justices Shirley Abrahamson, Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Grassl Bradley and Daniel Kelly strike down, sub silentio,
See National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol Overdose: The Dangers of Drinking Too Much, https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AlcoholOverdoseFactsheet/Overdosefact.htm (Oct. 2015).
The State's contention could be read to assert that the blood draw was a search incident to arrest within the traditional exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement.
Mitchell's blood draw parallels the search incident to arrest doctrine, as probable cause to arrest Mitchell for driving while intoxicated is fully supported by the record. That a search incident to arrest is an exception to the warrant requirement is an important principle to keep in mind. This is so because all unconscious drivers are not subjected to a blood draw under Wisconsin implied consent laws. Only those drivers for whom "a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the person has violated [laws regulating use of intoxicants]" can be searched.
Concurring Opinion
¶ 67 I do not believe the state can waive the people's constitutional protections against the state. I nonetheless concur because performing a blood draw on an unconscious individual who has been arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated in violation of
¶ 68 This is not the first time we have considered whether a law enforcement officer may perform a blood draw on an individual pursuant to "consent" granted by
¶ 69 The court today is even more ambitious than it was in Brar. Legislatively-granted consent to perform a blood draw is justified, the court says, for the same reasons certain searches of pervasively-regulated businesses do not require warrants. Lead op., ¶¶ 25-28 (citing Marshall v. Barlow's, Inc.,
¶ 70 The court should not venture into the "pervasive-regulation" arm of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence without a great deal of fear and trepidation. The rationale justifying this doctrine is too easy to abuse. If increased regulation decreases the areas in which individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, then the Fourth Amendment's protections are effectively contingent on the reach of the regulatory state. Through combined legislative and executive activity, oceans of regulations can wear away zones of privacy, allowing warrantless inspection regimes to follow in their wake.
¶ 71 Today's decision is a good example of the doctrine's erosive power. Driving, the court observes, is subject to many regulations, what with all the rules about staying on the right side of the road, speed limits, interactions with emergency vehicles, et cetera. The court could have mined that vein even more deeply than it did-under any definition, driving truly is pervasively-regulated. The temptation to reach for the doctrine under these circumstances is nearly irresistible. And why wouldn't it be? It fairly demands to be heard here. But this is a powerful and unruly force, and when the United States Supreme Court set it in motion, it impressed on the doctrine no internal logic capable of limiting its reach.
¶ 72 The court thinks to wield this doctrine here with limited effect-after all, we are simply justifying a warrantless blood draw. But the court misapprehends how the doctrine functions and, therefore, its consequences. If we are of a mind that this doctrine justifies the implied consent law, we may do so only if we first conclude that regulatory pervasiveness has removed the subject of its operation from the reasonable expectation of privacy. See Colonnade Catering,
¶ 73 For these reasons, and the reasons I discussed in my Brar concurrence, I conclude that the consent implied by
*
¶ 74 But this case is not Brar, and different reasons justify the blood draw here. The most important distinction between the two cases is this: Mr. Mitchell was not conscious when the law enforcement officer determined that a blood draw was necessary. No Supreme Court decision has yet opined directly on whether a warrant is necessary to perform a blood draw under these circumstances; I believe the interplay among Schmerber v. California,
¶ 75 For more than half a century now the United States Supreme Court has recognized that warrantless blood draws can be constitutional. In Schmerber, the Supreme Court recognized that exigent circumstances can justify a warrantless blood draw from an individual arrested on OWI charges. See Schmerber,
¶ 76 More recently, the State of Missouri pressed the Supreme Court to adopt a rule that the natural metabolization of alcohol in the bloodstream presents a per se exigency. McNeely,
¶ 77 The constitutionality of a warrantless blood draw returned to the Supreme Court in the context of the "search incident to arrest" doctrine in Birchfield.
*170¶ 78 Availability of the breath test, however, was the driving motivation for its ruling. In the absence of such an option, the reasonableness of a warrantless blood test increases:
We reach a different conclusion with respect to blood tests. Blood tests are significantly more intrusive, and their reasonableness must be judged in light of the availability of the less invasive alternative of a breath test. Respondents have offered no satisfactory justification for demanding the more intrusive alternative without a warrant.
¶ 79 Combining the reasoning of Schmerber, McNeely, and Birchfield provides the necessary guidance for Mr. Mitchell's case. Schmerber established the ground-rule principle that a warrantless blood draw can be constitutional. See Schmerber,
¶ 80 Here is how the Supreme Court's instructions apply in this case. Mr. Mitchell, of course, was arrested for OWI, so Schmerber and McNeely recognize that critical evidence of his intoxication was continually metabolizing away. They also explain that although metabolization alone would not support a warrantless blood draw, when combined with other elements it may. Birchfield says his privacy interest in the evidence of intoxication within his body is no longer a factor because the "search incident to arrest" doctrine is a recognized exception to the warrant requirement. So the only question remaining is whether the search should be conducted via a breath test or a blood test. Birchfield tells us that we must consider the availability of the less intrusive test in making this decision. Mr. Mitchell, however, was unconscious, so the breath test was not an option. A warrantless blood test was reasonable, therefore, because he had been arrested for OWI, evidence of the offense was continually dissipating, there was no telling how long he would be unconscious, his privacy interest in the evidence of intoxication within his body had been eviscerated by the arrest, and no less intrusive means were available to obtain the evanescent evidence.
¶ 81 I recognize that Birchfield holds a cautionary note about blood tests performed on unconscious suspects, but it appears to be in the form of an explanation for why the Court devoted just two sentences to the subject:
It is true that a blood test, unlike a breath test, may be administered to a person who is unconscious (perhaps as a result of a crash) or who is unable to do what is needed to take a breath test due to profound intoxication or injuries. But we have no reason to believe that such situations are common in drunk-driving arrests, and when they arise, the police may apply for a warrant if need be.
Birchfield,
*
¶ 82 Apropos of nothing relevant to this case, the lead opinion says a quartet of the court's members, including the author of this concurrence and the justice who joins it, "label refusal of chemical testing a constitutional right [in State v. Dalton,
¶ 83 Ultimately, the lead opinion is of two minds on whether a suspect may refuse a blood test, and it expressed both of them. On the one hand, it says that, "in a state with civil penalties for refusal to submit to a blood draw, 'a person suspected of drunk driving has no constitutional right to refuse to take a blood-alcohol test.' " Lead op., ¶ 38 (quoting South Dakota v. Neville,
¶ 84 Perhaps, however, the lead opinion means to say that when a blood test is *172conducted pursuant to consent-real consent, the kind that people provide, not legislatures-the consent can be withdrawn, but when conducted pursuant to legislatively-provided consent, it cannot. That seems to be the import of the observation that the "right to refuse the blood-alcohol test ... is simply a matter of grace bestowed by the ... legislature." See lead op., ¶ 39 (quoting Neville,
*
¶ 85 For these reasons, I respectfully concur in our court's mandate.
¶ 86 I am authorized to state that Justice REBECCA GRASSL BRADLEY joins this concurrence.
I use the term "lead" opinion for two reasons. First, I am concerned that without this cue, the reader may mistakenly believe that the lead opinion has any precedential value. Although five justices join in the mandate of the opinion to affirm the court of appeals (Roggensack, C.J., joined by Ziegler, J., Gableman, J., Rebecca Grassl Bradley, J., and Kelly, J.,), it represents the reasoning of only three justices (Roggensack, C.J., joined by Ziegler, J., and Gableman, J.). Justices Rebecca Grassl Bradley and Kelly joined in the mandate, but they would rely on contrary reasoning. Other paragraphs of the lead opinion that Justice Kelly indicates that he joins provide only uncontested factual and legal background that do not include the lead opinion's reasoning. See Justice Kelly's concurrence, ¶ 67 n.1.
Although set forth in two separate opinions, four justices disagree with the reasoning of the lead opinion. Importantly, contrary to the lead opinion, four justices determine that the implied consent laws cannot justify the warrantless blood draw performed in this case (Abrahamson, J., Ann Walsh Bradley, J., Rebecca Grassl Bradley, J., and Kelly, J.).
The lead opinion fails to alert readers as to the non-precedential status of its essential reasoning. Lest the rule of law be unclear to courts and litigants: BY THEMSELVES, THE IMPLIED CONSENT LAWS CANNOT JUSTIFY A WARRANTLESS BLOOD DRAW.
I observe that the concurrence and this dissent are in accord on this point. The concurrence "do[es] not believe that the state can waive the people's constitutional protections against the state." Concurrence, ¶ 67. Accordingly, it concludes that "the consent implied by § 343.305 cannot justify the blood draw performed on Mr. Mitchell." Id., ¶73.
The lead also cites State v. Phillips,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of Wisconsin, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Gerald P. MITCHELL, Defendant-Appellant.
- Cited By
- 19 cases
- Status
- Published