The 4th Amendment
What is the 4th amendment?
The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.
Why did the police search Mapp’s home?
The police were searching for a fugitive
How is this case related to the 4th amendment?
Establishing that its protections apply to people’s reasonable expectations of privacy, not just physical spaces.
What did the Supreme Court decide about the government's warrantless acquisition of cell-site records?
The government’s warrantless acquisition of Carpenter's cell-site records violated his Fourth Amendment rights.
When was the 4th amendment written?
The 4th Amendment was written in 1789 as part of the Bill of Rights and was ratified on December 15, 1791.
What was the vote count in the Supreme Court decision?
The decision was a 6-3 ruling in favor of Mapp.
What was the issue in the Katz v. United States case?
Law enforcement's warrantless use of a listening device in a public phone booth was violated.
Who authored the opinion for the 5-4 majority in this case?
Chief Justice John Roberts.
What makes a search or seizure resonable or unresonable?
Depends on balancing law enforcement needs with an individual's privacy rights, often requiring interpretation by courts.
What did the police do wrong?
The police searched Mapp's home without a warrant and without her permission, which violated her Fourth Amendment rights.
What did the Court decide in Katz v. United States?
The Court decided that Katz's Fourth Amendment rights were violated and ruled that warrantless eavesdropping on his conversation was unconstitutional.
What is the "third-party doctrine," and why did the Court decline to apply it to cell-site location information?
The third-party doctrine suggests that information disclosed to a third party carries no reasonable expectation of privacy. The Court declined to apply it to cell-site location information because of the greater privacy concerns associated with extensive tracking.
Does the 4th Amendment require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before conducting a search?
Yes, the 4th Amendment generally requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant, supported by probable cause, before conducting a search, except in certain exceptions
What happened to Dollree Mapp?
Police searched her home without a warrant and found illegal materials, which led to her arrest.
What precedent did Katz v. United States establish?
The case established the precedent of the "reasonable expectation of privacy" test under the Fourth Amendment.
What did the Court say about the level of intrusiveness of cell-site data compared to GPS tracking?
The Court noted that tracking a person’s movements through extensive cell-site records is far more intrusive than what was anticipated in earlier precedents, including GPS tracking.
What is the significance of the "automobile exception" to the 4th Amendment's search warrant requirement, and how has it been applied in landmark Supreme Court cases?
This exception allows law enforcement to search vehicles without a warrant under certain conditions.
Why is Mapp v. Ohio important?
It strengthened the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures by enforcing the rule that illegally obtained evidence can't be used in court
How did Katz v. United States change Fourth Amendment interpretation?
It shifted the focus from property-based protections to protecting personal privacy in places where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists.
Why did the Court find the third-party doctrine not applicable to cell-site location information, despite users being aware that providers log data?
The Court argued that while users might be aware that their cell phone provider keeps logs, this data is collected without any affirmative act or consent by the user, making it less voluntary and thus more invasive than the typical situations covered by the third-party doctrine.