State Sen. Johnny Nugent (R-Lawrenceburg)

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – A local lawmaker is vowing to fight a controversial decision by the Indiana Supreme Court.

Last week, the court ruled 3-2 that citizens do not have the right to resist police officers who enter their home illegally.  The majority justices argued “allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest.”

The issue centered around a Venderburgh County case where a husband tried to keep officers out of his apartment after his wife called 911.

The ruling has made national headlines with critics calling it a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

State Senator Johnny Nugent (R-Lawrenceburg) has been among those critics. He says it’s a “shocking decision.”

“As a state lawmaker, I believe it’s my duty to best represent Hoosiers and right now they’re saying they don’t agree with this judgment. I plan to help ensure our state’s self-defense laws next session in an effort to protect Indiana citizens and their beliefs,” Nugent said, adding the court overturned a basic common law that dates back to the English Magna Carta written 800 year ago.

Nugent said he will support legislation to reverse the decision during the 2012 Legislative Session.

“Hoosiers should not feel powerless in their own homes,” Nugent said. “They must be able to protect themselves and their families when they think it’s needed. Allowing police officers to intrude on an important right like this one threatens our forefathers’ founding ideas of living freely.”

LINKS:

Supreme Court Threatened For Police Entry Ruling