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Annenberg Classroom

Searches

Technological capabilities in the 21st century raise issues of privacy that the framers could not have imagined when they drafted the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Today, equipment is used to listen and see inside buildings; computers capture vast amounts of information about individuals; and devices provide instant communication around the world. Where is the line drawn to protect individuals’ right to privacy?

5 resources available

Handout

Making Our Fourth Amendment Right Real: Mapp v. Ohio

This lesson explores the landmark Supreme Court decision that makes state governments also responsible for protecting our Fourth Amendment right. With the exclusionary rule, this right becomes real for all of us.

Video

Search and Seizure: Mapp v. Ohio

In 1957, Dollree Mapp stood up to police who tried to enter her home without a search warrant. Her act of defiance led to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mapp v. Ohio that limited police powers. This documentary explores the Fourth Amendment case in which the Court ruled that evidence illegally obtained by police is not admissible in state courts.

Timeline

Fourth Amendment

The Fourth Amendment protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures by government officials. A search can mean everything from a frisking by a police officer to a blood test to a search of an individual’s home or car. A seizure occurs when the government takes control of an individual or something in his or her possession.