The Arkansas Supreme Court has denied a requested rehearing of a ruling that says state wildlife officers violated a hunter's constitutional rights when they ran a criminal background check on him when they didn't have any reasonable suspicion he had violated any laws.
The rehearing request was denied in a ruling issued Thursday without comment, though it noted three justices would have granted the hearing.
Officers arrested Jimmy Paul Pickle in Craighead County in 2012 after finding he was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The officers had watched Pickle and his hunting party for two hours before approaching them, then ran a background check after confirming that Pickle's hunting license was valid.
Wildlife officials have said the ruling will hurt enforcement of state laws and regulations.