Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Police Searches I: Searches of the Home

Protection from overbroad police searches is a found principle of American society; it is codified in thefourth amendment which reads: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonablesearches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath […]

Supreme Court decides that people under arrest can have their cheeks swabbed for DNA

The Supreme Court has recently ruled that police can collect DNA samples from people who are arrested but not yet convicted, in a split 5-4 decision. Justice Samuel Alito described the event as “the most important criminal procedure case that this court has heard in decades.” (Link) Twenty-six states already have laws that allow for […]