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Case v. Montana

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Supreme Court of the United States
Case v. Montana
Docket number: 24-624
Term: 2025
Court: United States Supreme Court
Important dates
Argued: October 15, 2025
Court membership
Chief Justice John Roberts • Clarence Thomas • Samuel Alito • Sonia Sotomayor • Elena Kagan • Neil Gorsuch • Brett Kavanaugh • Amy Coney Barrett • Ketanji Brown Jackson

Case v. Montana is a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on October 15, 2025, during the court's October 2025-2026 term.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • The issue: The case concerns whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant if they believe there is an emergency inside. The case before the Court asks whether the emergency-aid exception, which allows law enforcement to enter a home without a warrant, requires probable cause. Click here to learn more about the case's background.
  • The questions presented: "Whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or whether the emergency-aid exception requires probable cause."[1]
  • The outcome: The appeal is pending adjudication before the U.S. Supreme Court.


    • The case came on a writ of certiorari to the Montana Supreme Court. To review the lower court's opinion, click here.

    Background

    Case summary

    The following are the parties to this case:[2]

    • Petitioner: William Trevor Case
      • Legal counsel: Fred Anthony Rowley Jr. (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati)
    • Respondent: Montana
      • Legal counsel: Christian Brian Corrigan (Montana Department of Justice), Peter Martin Torstensen Jr. (Montana Attorney General's Office)

    The following summary of the case was published by Oyez, a free law project from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, Justia, and the Chicago-Kent College of Law:[3]

    “ In September 2021, Trevor Case’s ex-girlfriend J.H. called police to report that Case had threatened suicide during their phone conversation. J.H. believed Case was intoxicated due to his erratic behavior, and she became alarmed when he mentioned getting “a note or something like that” before committing suicide. During the call, J.H. heard clicking sounds resembling a cocking pistol, prompting her to tell Case she would call police. Case responded by threatening to harm any officers who came to his home. The call ended when J.H. heard a “pop” that she believed was a gunshot, followed by dead air, though the line remained connected. Unable to get Case to respond, J.H. contacted police and drove to his residence.

    Law enforcement officers arrived at Case’s home and attempted to make contact by knocking on doors and calling through an open window, but received no response. Through the windows, officers observed empty beer cans, an empty handgun holster, and a notepad they believed contained a suicide note. The officers knew of Case’s history of alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and previous suicide threats, including an incident where he brought a weapon to the school where he taught. After approximately forty minutes on scene, officers made the decision to enter the home without a warrant to conduct a welfare check. They entered with weapons drawn due to J.H.’s report of Case's threats against officers. While clearing the home, Sergeant Pasha encountered Case in an upstairs bedroom closet. When Case suddenly opened the closet curtain, Pasha observed what he believed was a dark object at Case’s waist and shot him in the abdomen. A handgun was subsequently found in a laundry hamper next to where Case fell.

    Case was charged with Assault on a Peace Officer and filed pretrial motions to suppress evidence obtained from the warrantless entry. The district court denied the motion to suppress. Following a jury trial in December 2022, Case was convicted of the felony charge. Case appealed to the Montana Supreme Court, which affirmed.[4]

    		”

    To learn more about this case, see the following:

    Timeline

    The following timeline details key events in this case:

    • October 15, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument.
    • June 2, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
    • December 4, 2024: William Trevor Case appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
    • August 6, 2024: The Montana Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the District Court of the Third Judicial District, holding that the District Court properly denied Case’s motion to suppress evidence obtained after officers responding to his threat of suicide entered his home without a warrant.

    Questions presented

    The petitioner presented the following questions to the court:[1]

    Questions presented:
    “ Whether law enforcement may enter a home without a search warrant based on less than probable cause that an emergency is occurring, or whether the emergency-aid exception requires probable cause.[4] ”

    Oral argument

    Audio

    Audio of oral argument:[5]



    Transcript

    Transcript of oral argument:[6]

    Outcome

    The case is pending adjudication before the U.S. Supreme Court.

    October term 2025-2026

    See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2025-2026

    The Supreme Court began hearing cases for the term on October 6, 2025. The court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions by mid-June.[7]


    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "24-624 CASE V. MONTANA QP", June 2, 2025
    2. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "No. 24-624 Case v. Montana" accessed September 23, 2025
    3. ↑ Oyez, "Case v. Montana", accessed September 23, 2025
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    5. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Oral Argument - Audio," argued October 15, 2025
    6. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Oral Argument - Transcript," argued October 15, 2025
    7. ↑ SupremeCourt.gov, "The Supreme Court at Work: The Term and Caseload," accessed January 24, 2022
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