Carry ID Or Else

Nothing like a constitutional debate to spice up a dull afternoon. This guy was arrested off the side of the road for failing to show ID. The case has been appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court. The primary 'constitutional concern' is summed up best by the following quote:

"On the 22nd of March 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Dudley and the rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where we must show "the papers" whenever a cop demands them."

I'm not a constitutional scholar (or an expert in law... and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night), but it looks to me like being arrested for refusing to show ID flies in the face of the fourth amendment (search and seizure). Many will make the argument that it's much easier today for enemies of the U.S. to get into the country than it was when the amendment was written. I don't know that that's true. I also can't really foresee any case where an individual who fails to produce ID upon request by a law enforcement officer can endanger the officer, or society, if no other evidence exists that a crime occurred.