… Somebody’s ringing a bell/Do me a favor, open the door/And let ’em in.”*

How are the libertarians among you reacting to this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hudson v. Michigan?

Popularly described as a ruling that allows police to “rush into a house without giving the required warning to the occupants,” the ruling also could be portrayed in a more favorable light. In the alternative interpretation, the high court has raised the bar for criminals searching for technicalities that help them evade prosecution.

The debate is not whether the “knock and announce” rule is a good one. Both sides in the case agreed that standard was valid.

The debate resolved in this case is whether a criminal can skate because police made a mistake in trying to follow the “knock and announce” standard.

It’s a delicate legal balancing act. I would be interested to read other opinions on the topic.

*I apologize for the gratuitous Paul McCartney reference, but the impending 64th birthday of the man who wrote “When I’m Sixty-Four” deserves a mention.