State of Connecticut v. Timothy Barton

Summary

The court adopted a totality-of-the-circumstances approach under article first, § 7, for assessing probable cause in warrant applications based on confidential informants, replacing the rigid two-pronged framework previously required by state precedent. It held that the affidavit provided a substantial basis for finding both that the informant had firsthand knowledge and that the information was reliable, and therefore supported probable cause to search the defendant’s apartment. Justice Glass, concurring in part and dissenting in part, agreed that the warrant was valid but would have retained the prior two-pronged test.