COURT: TRASH IS PRIVATE

CONCORD -- The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled 4-1 on Monday that garbage is
private, even when it has been put outside for collection. The decision runs
counter to U.S. Supreme Court rulings, but the state court said New Hampshire's
constitution provides a stronger expectation of privacy than the U.S.
Constitution.

The decision came in a case in which police searched John Goss' trash and found
wire scrapers coated with marijuana residue. Based on that and the observation
that he appeared to have a light for growing plants, police got a warrant to
search his home, where they seized marijuana.

Said Justice Joseph Nadeau: "Items that are regularly disposed of in household
trash disclose information about the resident that few people would want to be
made public."