| name | suppress-evidence |
| title | Motion to Suppress Evidence |
| description | Drafts a Motion to Suppress Evidence for criminal defense, challenging admissibility under the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Amendment. Trigger when the user needs a suppression motion, exclusionary rule brief, or pre-trial evidence challenge involving warrantless searches, Miranda violations, consent disputes, warrant defects, or fruit of the poisonous tree. |
| author | CaseMark |
| author_url | https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/suppress-evidence |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | us |
| practice | criminal |
| language | en |
| tags | ["drafting","litigation","motion"] |
Motion to Suppress Evidence
Draft a court-ready motion challenging admissibility of evidence obtained through constitutional violations.
Prerequisites
- Discovery materials — police reports, body cam transcripts, witness statements, warrant applications, chain-of-custody records
- Defendant account — client's version of the law enforcement encounter
- Jurisdiction — state, county, court division, local rule formatting
- Target evidence — specific items, statements, or derivative evidence to suppress
Quick Start
- Analyze case materials and build a fact timeline
- Identify constitutional grounds (Fourth / Fifth / Sixth Amendment, state analogs, fruit of the poisonous tree)
- Draft the motion using the required structure
- Construct legal arguments per ground
- Apply formatting and citation checks
Workflow
Step 1: Case Analysis
Extract from uploaded materials:
| Element | Capture |
|---|
| Timeline | Timestamps from initial contact through seizure |
| Officer conduct | Justifications, actions, warnings given |
| Inconsistencies | Conflicts between reports, body cam, witness accounts |
| Custody indicators | Location, restraint, duration, freedom to leave |
| Miranda compliance | Language used, timing, defendant's response |
| Warrant details | Affidavit basis, scope, particularity, execution |
| Consent claims | Who consented, authority, voluntariness, scope |
Flag record gaps — these support arguments that prosecution cannot meet its burden.
Step 2: Identify Constitutional Grounds
Select all applicable:
- Fourth Amendment — unreasonable search/seizure
- Fifth Amendment — self-incrimination / Miranda violation
- Sixth Amendment — right to counsel violation
- State constitutional analog — broader protections than federal
- Fruit of the poisonous tree — derivative evidence
Step 3: Draft Structure
Follow this section order:
Caption — court, case number, parties with full legal names.
