Searches and seizures must be "reasonable." Reasonableness is determined by appellate courts, must notably, the U.S. Supreme Court. If searches aren't reasonable, the typical remedy is for the trial court to "suppress" the evidence in question, meaning that the prosecution can't use it against the defendant.
Understanding Search-and-Seizure Law
Learn when the government can invade your privacy to hunt for evidence of a crime.
Police Searches and the Good Faith Exception
If officers violate your Fourth Amendment rights through a mistake, the evidence they find may nevertheless be admissible.
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree: Illegally Obtained Evidence
Fruit of the poisonous tree includes evidence gathered from just about any kind of police conduct that violates a defendant’s constitutional rights. The original evidence is inadmissible in court and so is any derivative evidence—unless an exception exists.
What Does the Bill of Rights Do?
The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.
Your right to privacy when the police come knocking, pull you over, or stop you on the street.
What Is the Exclusionary Rule?
American courts use the exclusionary rule to deter police officers and other government agents from abusing constitutional rights. According to the rule, courts will suppress evidence that the go
A motion to suppress evidence is a request by a defendant that the judge exclude certain evidence from trial.