4th Amendment Flashcards
When does the 4th Amendment apply to government action?
- Implicated is government action against the people
- regulates actions of govt officials acting within scope of employment
- Controls govt conduct and does not regulate private conduct
- does not apply to a private search by a private citizen but does apply if that citizen is acting as an instrument or agent of the govt or controlled, directed, instructed by govt (ex. informants/cooperating defendants)
- Foreign govt searches - not 4th amendment - must still comply w/ 5th Amendment due process
- 4th amendment pertains to the right of the people to be secure in their houses, papers, and effects
The 4th Amendment contains what two distinct clauses?
- First it requires that all searches and seizures be reasonable
- Mandates that Probable Cause exist before search or arrest warrants may be issued & warrants particularly describe the place(s) to be searched & person(s) or things to be Seized
What is the most important word in the 4th Amendment?
Unreasonable
What are warrants intended to do?
PC required
particularly of descriptions required
scope of search always applies
What are common REP areas?
The body Vehicles Homes Containers Curtilage Open Fields Govt Workplaces Abandoned Property Mail
How do you test for REP?
Two Prong Test
- Individual must have exhibited an actual (subjective) expectation of privacy (has the person involved, by word or order, demand privacy)
- that expectation must be one that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable
What is the body when referring to common REP?
- No REP in areas exposed to public view
- a physical intrusion, penetrating beneath the skin, infringes on an exception of privacy that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable
What is the vehicles when referring to common REP?
- No expectation of privacy in the exterior of a view
- Owner/operator generally has REP for interior - REP in what is concealed (console/glove box. trunk, under seat)
- An officer may lawfully observe an item sitting on the front seat in open view (does not necessarily give the officer the right to access the item, but may provide PC to allow entry)
- A passenger in a vehicle that he neither owns nor leases typically does not have REP (will retain an expectation of privacy inside any personal property brought into car - purse)
- REP when listed as an authorized driver on a rental agreement for duration of rental period
- GPS attached to a vehicle constitutes a search
What is the Home when referring to common REP?
- High expectations of privacy within confines of home
- ownership is important but not the controlling factor
- Owner REP persists in a vacation home even if only occupied a few weeks a year
- Overnight guests entitled to REP
- Squatters dwelling social visitor and commercial visitors do not have REP in the home visited
- REP in business premises, but only in those areas not generally open to public
- Protection afforded to homes has been extended to hotel and motel rooms
a. starts at check in
b. ends at check out - No REP in common areas - stairwells, hallways, ect. (hotels, motels, condos, apts)
What is the containers when referring to common REP?
- have REP in containers (purses, briefcases, backpacks, ect) at least where those containers do not reveal their contents by the way they are designed
What is Curtilage when referring to common REP?
- area to which extends the intimate activity associated with the sanctity of the home and the privacies of life
- considered part of the home and individual has REP in the curtilage surrounding the home
- consider the front, side, and backyards as curtilage
- no trespassing signs are not controlling - all considered private property
What are the four factors that are considered in determining curtilage?
- proximity of the area to the home itself (no specific distance)
- whether area is included within a single enclosure surrounding the home
- use of the area
- steps taken to protect the area from observation by people passing by
What is Open Fields when referring to common REP?
- include any unoccupied or undeveloped area outside the curtilage
- No REP in open fields
- Observations made from open fields are lawful and evidence found is lawfully seized and admissible
- Even if area is fenced and the owner has posted “no trespassing” signs, LE officers may enter for legitimate LE purposes
- An open field not be “open” or a “field”
What is abandoned property when referring to common REP?
- No REP in abandoned property
- May abandon an exception of privacy in an object by denying knowledge or ownership of it
- key to determining REP in garbage is the location - REP inside, no REP all curb for pick up
- Outside of the home, but within curtilage = no bright line rule - if readily accessible to the public from the street, may not have REP
What is mail when referring to common REP?
- REP only in the contents of first class and higher mail sent through USPS
- No REP on outside of a letter or package (words written on envelope)
- REP in contents of letters and packages sent through private carriers (FEDEX, DHL, UPS)
What is Govt Workplaces when referring to common REP?
- Govt Employees can establish REP in their offices, filing cabinets and computers
- If REP exists, a supervisor may not consent to a search
- Even when REP exists, a warrantless search may be conducted under certain circumstances
- A lawful intrusion must be justified in inception
- Purely criminal activity = PC and a Warrant (or exception) required
What are the exceptions when conducting a warrantless search in Govt Workplaces?
- Work related materials - No RS or PC required
- Employee misconduct - RS required
- Mixed motive/dual purpose - need RS (no warrant required)
What are search methods and devices when discussing the 4th Amendment?
Canine Sniffs
Knock and Talk
Sensory Enhancement
Aircraft Over Flight