Rights & Definitions
Define "probable cause" in one sentence. 300 — What does the term "seizure" mean in the context of the Fourth Amendment?
Reasonable grounds to believe a person committed a crime.
Why are car windows treated differently than homes under Fourth Amendment law?
Cars are mobile and have less privacy; plain view and mobility exceptions often apply.
What is a "stop and frisk" intended to do?
A pat-down for weapons during a brief investigative stop.
In Mapp v. Ohio, was the evidence found in an illegal search allowed or disallowed in court?
Disallowed; it was inadmissible.
What item of a student was searched in New Jersey v. T.L.O.?
A purse.
What phrase in the Fourth Amendment says people cannot be searched or have property taken without good reason?
What is "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures..."
Name two types of places specifically listed in the Fourth Amendment.
Persons and houses (also papers and effects).
What type of search happens when you give permission to an officer to look through your belongings?
Consent search.
Which 1961 case applied the exclusionary rule to the states?
Mapp v. Ohio
Does the Fourth Amendment protect students in public schools? Answer yes or no.
Yes — protections apply, but with different standards for school officials.
What does the term "seizure" mean in the context of the Fourth Amendment?
To take into legal custody or confiscate.
Give one example of an "effect" protected by the Fourth Amendment.
Personal items inside a home (e.g., jewelry, backpacks).
Name two exceptions that allow police to search without a warrant.
Examples: exigent (emergency) circumstances, inventory searches, incident-to-arrest, border searches, consent, plain view, hot pursuit.
Which 1985 Supreme Court case concerns searches of students in public schools?
New Jersey v. T.L.O
Explain how searches of lockers differ from searches of a student's personal bag inside the school building.
Lockers are school property with a reduced expectation of privacy; personal bags inside the building carry greater expectation and may require stronger justification.
Explain the "exclusionary rule" in one or two sentences.
Evidence found during an illegal search cannot be used in court.
Explain how employer-provided space (like a locker) affects a person's Fourth Amendment protection.
Employer-provided spaces usually carry reduced expectation of privacy.
Define "plain view doctrine."
If an officer can see illegal evidence without searching, it may be seized.
What was the main holding of New Jersey v. T.L.O. regarding school searches?
School officials can perform reasonable warrantless searches of students under their authority; probable cause is not required—reasonableness standard applies.
Why might school officials be allowed to search a student without a warrant, even though police usually need probable cause?
Because the standard is "reasonableness" under the circumstances (safety and school order concerns), not full probable cause.
The Fourth Amendment mentions security in "persons, houses, papers, and effects." Give a brief modern example of what "papers" covers today.
Examples: emails, documents stored on a phone or cloud, social media messages.
Describe how digital devices (phones/computers) created a change in how "papers" or "effects" are considered under the Fourth Amendment.
Courts treat digital data as modern "papers/effects"; warrants and higher protections often required to access device contents.
Describe "hot pursuit" and explain why it can justify a warrantless entry.
Hot pursuit: when police chase a fleeing suspect and may enter private property without a warrant to continue pursuit and prevent escape or destruction of evidence.
Briefly explain why Mapp v. Ohio changed how courts handle illegally obtained evidence at the state level.
It required state courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, extending the exclusionary rule to the states.
A teacher sees an illegal item in plain view in a student's classroom desk. Explain the likely legal standard for searching further and whether the exclusionary rule would usually apply if school officials found evidence.
If item clearly illegal in plain view, school officials may search further if reasonable; exclusionary rule may not always apply the same way as in criminal prosecutions (schools use a reasonableness standard; evidence used by police could be excluded if obtained illegally)