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Arizona high court to rule on claims of duress

Posted at 6:57 AM, Apr 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-26 09:57:54-04

The Arizona Supreme Court plans to rule Tuesday on whether two men convicted of driving or boating under the influence were coerced into submitting to tests for alcohol.

At issue is whether law enforcement officers violated the defendants' constitutional rights against unreasonable warrantless searches by saying Arizona law required the men to submit to alcohol testing.

One case involves a man stopped by a Maricopa County sheriff's deputy while operating a boat. The other case involves a man arrested in Cochise County by a state trooper who found the man asleep while seated behind the wheel in a truck.

Lower courts upheld the convictions but a dissenting judge in one case said what the officers said was inappropriate because suspects have a right to not consent to warrantless tests.