Oregon Child Welfare, Abuse, Fourth Amendment Case in U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Supreme Court: Camreta v. Greene; Alford v. Greene (09-1454; 09-1478)

Oral argument: March 1, 2011

Ninth Circuit case: Greene v. Camreta (2009: #06-35333), excerpt:

“BERZON, Circuit Judge:
We are asked to decide whether the actions of a child protective services caseworker and deputy sheriff, understandably concerned for the well-being of two young girls, exceeded the bounds of the constitution. Specifically, the girls’ mother, Sarah Greene, alleges, on behalf of S.G., one of her children, that the caseworker, Bob Camreta, and deputy sheriff, James Alford, violated the Fourth Amendment when they seized and interrogated S.G. in a private office at her school for two hours without a warrant, probable cause, or parental consent. Sarah also argues that Camreta’s subsequent actions, both in securing a court order removing the girls from her custody and in subjecting the girls to intrusive sexual abuse examinations outside her presence, violated the Greenes’ familial rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment….” (Read full 9th Circuit opinion.)