Idaho Claims Sovereign Immunity in Profiling Case

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The state of Idaho says its sovereign immunity from lawsuits should protect the Idaho State Police from being sued in a license-plate profiling case.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the state made the argument in its response to a lawsuit filed by 69-year-old Darien Roseen of Colorado. Roseen alleges Trooper Justin Klitch pulled him over at a rest stop as he crossed into Idaho from Washington state in January 2013, detained him for hours and searched his vehicle for marijuana for no other reason than because he had a Colorado license plate and a Washington state driver's license.

Both states have legalized marijuana. Lawyers for Fruitland police and the Payette county sheriff's department and their officers have asked the court to dismiss Roseen's lawsuit.