Minn. Supreme Court: Warrantless Blood & Urine Tests Unconstitutional

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision that a blood or urine test administered without a warrant is unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court's ruling came almost exactly one year to the day of the Court of Appeals' decision in regards to the case of Todd Trahan.

He was arrested in 2012 on suspicion of drunk driving, and gave consent to a urine test while in custody. Trahan, however, refused to take a blood draw test after a deputy accused him of tampering with his urine sample.

Trahan was sentenced to 60 months in prison for refusing the second test, which he later appealed successfully.

His attorneys cited a decision from 2015 and convinced the Court of Appeals that because skin is pierced in a blood draw, it is physically intrusive and thus violates the Fourth Amendment.