Justices hear arguments over police dog use

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court went to the dogs on Halloween.

Justices returned to work on Wednesday by hearing arguments in a couple of cases dealing with police dogs and their use in criminal cases in Florida.

In one case, the justices will decide whether a Florida police dog’s sniff outside the front door of a house with a marijuana growing operation is an illegal search. In the second case, the court will determine whether an indication from a drug-sniffing dog is enough to establish probable cause for a search of a car without additional proof of the dog’s reliability.

After hearing arguments on Monday, Justices canceled court on Tuesday because of Hurricane Sandy. The Tuesday arguments will now be heard in a rare Thursday session instead.