GUILTY or NOT?

GUILTY or NOT? / Case library

The Smell at the Door

Kentucky v. King (2011)

Charge: Trafficking in Controlled Substances; Possession of Marijuana Heard on GUILTY or NOT?: 29 August 2026

The facts

Lexington Police followed a drug dealer into an apartment complex and lost him. They smelled fresh, burning marijuana coming from the left apartment. Officers knocked loudly and announced Police. They then heard sounds from inside consistent with the destruction of evidence, kicked in the door, and found the Defendant and others smoking marijuana.

You have the facts the court had. Did the prosecution prove it? Render your verdict in the game, then see what the court actually decided — and why.

Citation: 563 U.S. 452 (2011)

Read the full decision at oyez.org. The source reveals the outcome.

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