False Search Warrants

In San Francisco, Federal Judge John S. Partridge threw out evidence obtained against an alleged bootlegger in a raid. He did so because the raid was conducted under a search warrant sworn out by a Prohibition agent under an assumed name. Said the court: "No sworn affidavit that deliberately misstates facts will be recognized by this court." Federal agents have been swearing out search warrants under assumed names in order to hide their identity and thereby maintain their usefulness. The action of Judge Partridge will probably result in the dismissal of several hundred cases against alleged bootleggers in which warrants were sworn out by agents under other than their true names.