Search warrant

A court-issued authorization allowing law enforcement to search a specified place for evidence or contraband. It limits the search by identifying its target, location, and legal basis.

Probable cause: A legal standard requiring sufficient facts to support a reasonable belief that a crime occurred or evidence will be found. Affidavits must establish this factual basis before a judge may authorize a search.
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution: A constitutional amendment protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures and setting conditions for warrants. It supplies the central federal protections governing search warrants in the United States.
Warrantless search: A government search conducted without a warrant, permissible only when constitutional rules allow it. It contrasts with searches that obtain judicial approval before entry.
Mapp v. Ohio: A 1961 U.S. Supreme Court decision applying the exclusionary rule to state criminal prosecutions. The case made exclusion a practical consequence of unconstitutional state searches.
Home search: A government search of a residence, an area receiving strong protection under U.S. Fourth Amendment law. The home is a central setting in which officers must respect warrant boundaries.
Warrant affidavit: A sworn statement presenting facts to a judge in support of a warrant application. It records the evidence and sources on which the request for this search rests.
Reasonableness (Fourth Amendment): The Fourth Amendment standard for judging whether a government search or seizure is constitutionally permissible. A warrant is one way the legal system evaluates and constrains a search’s reasonableness.
Consent search: A search conducted after a person with authority voluntarily agrees to it. Consent can authorize a search without the court-issued permission required here.
United States v. Leon: A 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing a good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule for evidence obtained under a defective warrant. It limits suppression when officers reasonably rely on a judge’s warrant.
Digital search warrant: A warrant authorizing law enforcement to search digital devices or data for specified evidence. Digital evidence forces courts to apply particularity limits to large stores of personal information.

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