Searches and Seizures

"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."

The Fourth AmendmentFourth AmendmentProtects against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to be based on probable cause and to describe specifically what will be searched.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government and sets conditions for warrants. Many modern questions, digital data, location tracking, device searches, and government purchases of commercial data, ask how this 18th-century protection applies to today's technology. Congress and the courtsjudiciaryThe branch of government made up of the courts and judges. The federal judiciary is the Supreme Court plus the courts Congress created beneath it.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) return to those questions regularly.