4 Exceptions To The 4th Amendment In Houston
Description
Form popularity
FAQ
Martin J. King J.D. This article describes the “special needs” exception which applies to searches and seizures conducted without individualized suspicion for the purpose of minimizing a risk of harm.
Article 38.23 does expand the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule in that private citizens, not simply government actors, are estopped from illegally obtaining evidence against a defendant. See Johnson v. State, 939 S.W. 2d 587-88 (Tex.
So, yes, in California, when it comes to suppression of evidence in search and seizure, criminal defendants are limited to what the Fourth Amendment provides.
The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits unreasonable search and seizures by the government. In criminal law, “search and seizure” refers to law enforcement's examination of a person or property to find evidence when he/she believes a crime has been committed.
Other well-established exceptions to the warrant requirement include consensual searches, certain brief investigatory stops, searches incident to a valid arrest, and seizures of items in plain view.
The Fourth Amendment, however, is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under the law. Whether a particular type of search is considered reasonable in the eyes of the law, is determined by balancing two important interests.
The special needs doctrine evolved from the language of the Fourth Amendment, which determines that searches must be reasonable in order to be constitutional. Absent individualized suspicion leading to probable cause and the issuing of a warrant, a search can be reasonable if the search serves a valid special need.
24 Examples of cases where the special needs exception applies include inspections for building code enforcement, border searches, airport searches, school searches, roadside checkpoints and drug testing of employees at government jobs.
Other well-established exceptions to the warrant requirement include consensual searches, certain brief investigatory stops, searches incident to a valid arrest, and seizures of items in plain view.
