The Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal for police officers to extend a traffic stop to wait for drug-detecting dogs on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.
In the case in question, Dennys Rodriguez was pulled over for a routine traffic stop before police made him wait for just under 10 minutes while they led drug-sniffing dogs around his vehicle, the Star Tribune reported.
The dog pointed police in the direction of methamphetamine in Rodriguez’ vehicle. The court ruled this use of the canine unit was illegitimate with a vote of six to three, the New York Times reported.
According to the Washington Post, this case serves as a response to previous rulings that allowed police to use dogs as long as it doesn’t delay the normal stop, by more clearly defining that the use of dogs is not allowed if it delayed the stop by any amount.