ABSTRACT
Rose, a 20-year-old college sophomore, was the designated driver for a group of friends coming home from a party one evening in the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina. The group lost their way, and while searching for a familiar landmark, Rose failed to stop for a blinking red light. After a police vehicle tailed her car for a few miles, she was signaled to pull over to the side of the road. The police officer shined a flashlight on the three occupants of the car, asked to see Rose’s driver license, directed her to get out of the car, then queried, “What’s the matter with your eyes?” Though Rose explained that, because of a neuromuscular problem, her eyelid muscles sag when she is tired (a condition called ptosis), the officer accused Rose of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, an allegation that Rose vehemently denied.
