GIST: "One of the most often used phrases in an American courtroom uttered by police officers nationwide hundreds of times a day is that “under the totality of the circumstances” they came to some sort of opinion. This type of logic is most often seen in (driving under the influence related) cases. In fact, in a case where someone declines to take a chemical test, the opinion of impairment that is “based upon the totality of the circumstances” can be the lynchpin of the entire case. So I got to thinking about that and thought about how crazy that is."........

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