AFTER THAT, WHAT'LL BE THE NEXT CRIMINAL JUSTICE BREAKTHROUGH?

Gosh, I'm so surprised -- a 5-4 ruling!

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled by a 5-to-4 vote that officials may strip-search people arrested for any offense, however minor, before admitting them to jails even if the officials have no reason to suspect the presence of contraband.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy [was] joined by the court’s conservative wing....

The Supreme Court case arose from the arrest of Albert W. Florence in New Jersey in 2005. Mr. Florence was in the passenger seat of his BMW when a state trooper pulled his wife, April, over for speeding. A records search revealed an outstanding warrant based on an unpaid fine. (The information was wrong; the fine had been paid.)

Mr. Florence was held for a week in jails in two counties, and he was strip-searched twice....

And what do you know -- the guy who was wrongly arrested and strip-searched is black! What are the odds?

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So what's next?

I bet ALEC is already drafting model legislation allowing armed citizens to order strip searches of anyone they choose, as long as they sincerely feel threatened -- or feel, y'know, anything whatsoever that might lead them to say a strip search is necessary.