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4 th amendment importance
Essays on why the 4th amendment is important
Essays on why the 4th amendment is important
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The Fourth Amendment is important for many reasons. In this essay I will outline the historical origins of the Fourth Amendment and assess why its inclusion was so important to those considering ratifying the Constitution. I will also select a case in which a search warrant was used during an investigation. By outlining the case I will state my opinion about whether or not a warrant was necessary and how the search warrant contributed or did not contribute to the result in the case. In modern society it is easy to forget where many of our freedoms from government intrusion into one’s home was a natural right and fundamental to our liberty. The Fourth Amendment states: …show more content…
The Fourth Amendment was written directly in response to British general warrants, called Writs of Assistance. When the Constitution was being drafted there were two sides in the Great Debate. The Federalists wanted to ratify the Constitution and the Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the Constitution. The Federalists didn’t think that the addition of the Bill of Rights were not necessary. On the other hand the Anti-Federalists felt that the government had too much power. They wanted the states to have more power over themselves. The Bill of Rights were added to gain support from the Anti-Federalists. When the Fourth Amendment became part of the Constitution, it was originally only applied to the federal government. Later, it was applied to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourth Amendment. In 1914 the Supreme Court established what has been known as the Exclusionary Rule, in the landmark case of Weeks v. U.S (Mannheimer, M.Z. 2015). The exclusionary rule established consequences for violating a suspects fourth amendment
On September 4, 1958, Dollree Mapp’s was convicted in the Cuyahoga County Ohio Court of Common Pleas (Mapp v. Ohio - 367 U.S. 643 (1961)). On March 29, 1961, Dollree Mapp v. Ohio was brought before the Supreme Court of the United States after an incident with local Ohio law enforcement and a search of Dollree Mapp 's home (Mapp v. Ohio 367 U.S. 643 (1961)). In the Bill of Rights, the Fourth Amendment protects and prohibits all persons from unreasonable searches and seizures. However, can evidence obtained through a search that was in violation of a person’s Fourth Amendment rights still be admitted in a state criminal proceeding? This is the issue that will be thoroughly examined in the landmark case of Dollree Mapp v. the State of Ohio (henceforth
The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments are part of the Bill of Rights which includes the first ten Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. These rights apply to the citizens of our great country. The Fourth Amendment covers search laws and has a significant impact on law enforcement procedures. If these procedural rights are not followed, there can be devastating consequences to the outcome of a case.
The 4th amendment provides citizens protections from unreasonable searches and seizures from law enforcement. Search and seizure cases are governed by the 4th amendment and case law. The United States Supreme Court has crafted exceptions to the 4th amendment where law enforcement would ordinarily need to get a warrant to conduct a search. One of the exceptions to the warrant requirement falls under vehicle stops. Law enforcement can search a vehicle incident to an individual’s arrest if the individual unsecured by the police and is in reaching distance of the passenger compartment. Disjunctive to the first exception a warrantless search can be conducted if there is reasonable belief
" Various guarantees create zones of privacy. The right of association contained in the penumbra of the First Amendment. The Third Amendment in its prohibition against the quartering of soldiers. The Fourth Amendment explicitly affirms 'the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures'. The Fifth Amendment in its Self Incrimination Clause.
The 4th amendment protects people from being searched or having their belongings taken away without any good reason. The 4th amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791. For many years prior to the ratifiation, people were smuggling goods because of the Stamp Act; in response Great Britain passed the writs of assistance so British guards could search someone’s house when they don’t have a good reason to. This amendment gave people the right to privacy. “Our answer to the question of what policy must do before searching a cellphone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple - get a warrant.” This was addressed to officers searching people’s houses and taking things without having a proper reason. I find
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states that people have the right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,” but the issue at hand here is whether this also applies to the searches of open fields and of objects in plain view and whether the fourth amendment provides protection over these as well. In order to reaffirm the courts’ decision on this matter I will be relating their decisions in the cases of Oliver v. United States (1984), and California v. Greenwood (1988) which deal directly with the question of whether a person can have reasonable expectations of privacy as provided for in the fourth amendment with regards to objects in an open field or in plain view.
The Constitution of the United States of America protects people’s rights because it limits the power of government against its people. Those rights guaranteed in the Constitution are better known as the Bill of Rights. Within these rights, the Fourth Amendment protects “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable search and seizures […]” (Knetzger & Muraski, 2008). According to the Fourth Amendment, a search warrant must be issued before a search and seizure takes place. However, consent for lawful search is one of the most common exceptions to the search warrant requirement.
Do the First and Fourth Amendments Protect?" Current Issues & Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument with Readings. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin's, 1999. 316-324.
The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This statement basically means that people should be able to own guns for their own security and that right should not be taken away. The Second Amendment was added to the Constitution because the creators of the Constitution wanted to make sure that it protected basic rights, including the right to bear arms. It was also added to the Constitution because shortly after it was ratified, James Madison wanted to give more power to the state militia and to give more power to the people to give them the ability to fight back against the Federalists and the tyrannical government they were creating. After fighting off the British, the Second Amendment was created to give citizens the opportunity to fight back against controlling government and protect themselves with their own weapons.
The Fourth Amendment is the component of the Constitution, which protects a person’s individual rights pertaining to his person and property. The Fourth Amendment is directly stated as follows:
A-58). It also requires “a warrant that specifically describes the place to be searched, the person involved, and suspicious things to be seized” (Goldfield et al. A- 58). The Fourth Amendment protects the privacy of the people by preventing public officials from searching homes or personal belonging without reason. It also determines whether “someone 's privacy is diminished by a governmental search or seizure” (Heritage). This amendment protects citizens from having evidence which was seized illegally “used against the one whose privacy was invaded” (Heritage). This gives police incentive to abide by the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment protects a person’s privacy “only when a person has a legitimate expectation to privacy” (FindLaw). This means the police cannot search person’s home, briefcase, or purse. The Fourth Amendment also requires there to be certain requirements before a warrant can be issued. The Fourth Amendment requires a warrant “when the police search a home or an office, unless the search must happen immediately, and there is no opportunity to obtain a warrant” (Heritage). The Fourth Amendment protects the privacy of the people, but also the safety of the people. When there is probable cause, a government official can destroy property or subdue a suspect. The Fourth Amendment prevents government officials from harassing the public.
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution was first introduced in 1789 by James Maddison, and was a part of the Bill of Rights which includes the first ten amendments. The Fourth Amendment was created and ultimately it was created to protect two things the right to privacy and the freedom against unlawful invasions. The exact wording of the Fourth Amendment is “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.”(“Fourth Amendment”). Now after reading that some people may think they are completely safe from all types of searches and seizures, but they would be wrong. The Fourth Amendment is not a total protection against all searches and seizures against all searches and seizures; if it is declared under law a person can be searched or seized. (“What does the Fourth Amendment Mean?”). There are some specific things that are governed by the Fourth Amendment that deal specifically with criminal procedure such as arrests with warrants, searches with warrants, arrests without warrants, searches without warrants, seizure of evidence, and different types of stops and seizures (Criminal Procedure). All of this might seem confusing to the average American when just reading it casually and it sometimes can be for a person such as a police officer who is supposed to be fully educated on all these things and more. Almost all United States citizens know their First Amendment rights such as free speech and jury trial, but the Fourth Amendment always seems ...
Throughout the years schools have begun to use the advancement of technology in their classes mostly for educational purposes. This includes the students the collection of students’ test scores, over-all grade and their attendance records. This is an invasion of privacy and it has to stop. The reasons for this are the following, it violates the students’ 4th amendment rights and hackers could easily get into where the data is being stored. Some of the schools that use technology in their classrooms have also gathered data on the students’ health, sleeping habits, sexual activity, prescription drug use and alcohol use and share the data that collected with other school districts, this effects the students’ intellectual freedom.
In many ways the fourth amendment has been taken advantage of, being everything can be saved on web sites "When I search the Web, I've shared it with the Web Company, when I send an email, I've shared it with the email service." Says David Cole, a lawyer who teaches constitutional law and national security at Georgetown University. All of that information has lost its constitutional barriers, and without show illegal activity they can receive this information. In recent years, the Fourth Amendment's suitability in electronic searches and seizures has received much attention from the courts. With the coming of the internet and the increased popularity of computers it made everything easier to get without any proof. There has been a developing amount of crime occurring electronically. Therefore, evidence of crimes can be found on computers, hard drives, or other electronic devices. Implied by this information it has been overreached by the government.
As technology continues to advance, digital data and personal privacy have become even more crucial to protect. Mobile phones operate similar to small computers and have become an integral part of the way people communicate and live their lives and can contain a digital record of virtually every aspect of a person’s life. The Fourth amendment was added to United States Constitution in December 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights. As stated by Swidle, the Fourth Amendment specifically provides: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” (Swidle, 2013).