Rovin v. State

Summary

The Supreme Court of Maryland affirmed summary judgment for the State on claims arising from Valerie Rovin's arrest under a warrant for alleged juror intimidation. The Court held that the neutral judicial officer's warrant created a strong presumption of probable cause, reinforced by the deputy's full disclosure and reliance on prosecutorial advice, and that Rovin did not establish any exception sufficient to overcome that presumption. The Court also held that probable cause defeated her free-speech and related constitutional claims and that the juror-intimidation statute was not unconstitutionally vague. The Court declined to decide whether the objectively reasonable mistake-of-law analysis applied to the constitutional claim involving the arrest.