Fourth Amendment
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 232 U.S. 383 - Weeks v. United States · 1914Most cited · 6,633 citing opinions
not directed to state officials
As to the papers and property seized by the policemen, it does not appear that they acted under any claim of Federal authority such as would make the amendment applicable to such unauthorized seizures... What remedies the defendant may have against them we need not inquire, as the 4th Amendment is not directed to individual misconduct of such officials. Its limitations reach the Federal government and its agencies.
How the Supreme Court has restated “Fourth Amendment”
Each Supreme Court definition of “Fourth Amendment,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Fourth Amendment”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “Fourth Amendment” — 8,217 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 3 definitions, chronological · 1914–1932
- ORIGINAL
The effect of the 4th Amendment is to put the courts of the United States and Federal officials, in the exercise of their power and authority, under limitations and restraints as to the exercise of such power and authority, and to forever secure the people, their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against all unreasonable searches and seizures under the guise of law. This protection reaches all alike, whether accused of crime or not, and the duty of giving to it force and effect is obligatory upon all intrusted under our Federal system with the enforcement of the laws.
purpose and scope
The Fourth Amendment forbids every search that is unreasonable and is construed liberally to safeguard the right of privacy. Its protection extends to offenders as well as to the law abiding.