Tag: Fourth amendment

What is a Stop-and-Frisk Search?

If you live in New York, chances are you have heard about the police tactic of “stop-and-frisk” searches. These searches have been the subject of extensive controversy throughout the years, particularly in big cities where the practice is incredibly common. But what is a stop-and-frisk, exactly, and why do so many people get up in arms about them? Continue reading “What is a Stop-and-Frisk Search?”

What is the Reasonable Expectation of Privacy?

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution states that no citizen shall be subject to an unreasonable search or seizure of their person or property without a warrant backed by probable cause. A key word in that statement, however, is what constitutes an “unreasonable” search or seizure. According to the Supreme Court, the answer has to do with whether someone had a reasonable expectation of privacy. But what exactly is the reasonable expectation of privacy, and when does it protect you from a search or seizure by law enforcement? Continue reading “What is the Reasonable Expectation of Privacy?”

The Expectation of Privacy

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution says that a citizen cannot be the subject of an unreasonable search or seizure without a warrant backed by probable cause. But in the Supreme Court case Katz v. U.S., the Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment applies only in cases where a person has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” And it’s not always obvious when you have a reasonable expectation of privacy, at least by the court’s standards. Continue reading “The Expectation of Privacy”