Jackson's Case: The Case Of Mapp Vs. Ohio

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On May 23, 1957, Dollree Mapp submitted to a search of her home by law enforcement. Police happened to be in the area searching for a suspect in connection to a recent bombing that had occurred. After receiving information that Mapp was hiding the suspect, Cleveland law enforcement demanded entrance to her home. Mapp denied the police entrance, and eventually forced their way into her house. The individual was not found in the search, but police did find pornographic materials. Due to Ohio law, Mapp was arrested on violation charges of owning “obscene material.” This led her through a battle of the courts against the state of Ohio. Furthermore, Mapp vs. Ohio led to some significant constitutional changes as well. The more prominent stakes of the case were the exclusionary rule, and the 4th amendment. Dollree Mapp’s rights were at stake along with the rest of the public. At the time of the case unlawfully seized evidence was banned from federal courts but not state courts. Dollree Mapp was a single mother living in Cleveland, Ohio. In the event of a bombing that took place in Mapp’s neighborhood, law enforcement obtained information that Mapp could be hiding the suspect in her home. On May 23, 1957 police went to the home and demanded entrance to search for the suspect. Mapp denied the police entry, based on the fact that they could not produce a proper search warrant. Police then left the home and sat for hours observing the area. That same night police forced their way into Mapp’s home with a mock search warrant. An officer produced a document claiming it to be a search warrant. Mapp grasped for the paper, but an officer seized it and cuffed her for “non compliance.” Police continued their search through her daughter’s room, M... ... middle of paper ... ...al law in many of the States has long justifiably relied...” Harlan believed the decision in Ohio vs. Mapp was reached to overrule the verdict in Wolf v. Colorado. Harlan thought that Ohio vs. Mapp was simply a first amendment case, and unlikely a fourth amendment case. He believed the ruling to extend the exclusionary rule was flawed. That being the case, the 1st amendment right should have been argued in the lawsuit and not the 4th. Harlan disagreed that the judgment was the right one for the situation at hand. On the whole, Mapp vs. Ohio set the standard for obtaining evidence. Evidence that was attained by violating the 4th amendment was inadmissible in the court of law. Therefore putting limits on how police operate in their searches. An argument 50 years in the making was finally settled in Mapp’s case. The exclusionary rule was applied to all state levels.

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