The courts
warrant
A judge's written authorization to search a place or arrest a person, issued on probable cause and describing specifically what may be searched or seized.
In full
The Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement puts a neutral magistrate between the government and the citizen. Warrants must particularly describe the place to be searched and the things to be seized, which bars general searches. Numerous exceptions permit warrantless searches, including consent, exigent circumstances, and searches incident to arrest.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.