Research guide
Fourth Amendment: A List of Resources
Wisconsin State Law Library
Jaime Healy-Plotkin research guide, updated October 23, 2020; a starting point for search-and-seizure sources.
Begin with the source
The original text.
Amendment IV
Ratified December 15, 1791
U.S. Constitution / Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Original spelling and punctuation preserved.
Read. Compare. Follow the source.
The research file.
18 local PDFs for this amendment, with source details and a direct download for each. Start with an overview or follow a case.
Read each source in context. Court decisions and dated analyses are preserved as published. Later law may change their meaning. Sources marked as context explore related questions; they are not direct holdings on this amendment.
18 documents in this file
Court decision
Carpenter v. United States (2018)
Supreme Court of the United States
Historical cell-site location records and limits on applying the third-party doctrine to digital tracking. Original slip opinion; consult the final published opinion and later authorities.
Research report
The Fourth Amendment in the Digital Age
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson symposium report released in June 2016; its digital-privacy discussion predates Carpenter (2018).
Court decision
Riley v. California, 573 U.S. 373 (2014)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Cellphone searches incident to arrest and the privacy of digital data. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Official analysis
The Fourth Amendment Third-Party Doctrine
Congressional Research Service
CRS report R43586, June 5, 2014; this analysis predates Carpenter v. United States (2018).
Court decision
Atwater v. City of Lago Vista, 532 U.S. 318 (2001)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Custodial arrest for a fine-only misdemeanor. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27 (2001)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Thermal imaging of a home and technology-assisted searches. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806 (1996)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Traffic stops, probable cause, and officers subjective motivations. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897 (1984)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
The good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213 (1983)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Probable cause and informant tips under a totality-of-circumstances approach. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573 (1980)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Warrantless entry into a home to make a routine felony arrest. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648 (1979)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Discretionary vehicle stops to check driver licenses and registration. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752 (1969)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Limits on searches incident to arrest inside a home. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Investigatory stops and protective frisks. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
Privacy and electronic surveillance beyond physical trespass. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
State-court exclusion of evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132 (1925)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
The origins of the automobile-search exception. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
Court decision
Weeks v. United States, 232 U.S. 383 (1914)
Supreme Court of the United States / Library of Congress
The exclusionary rule in federal criminal proceedings. Read as a historical decision alongside later authorities.
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