Entry 7 Amendment 4

Source: Search and Seizure: Supreme Court Limits Police Car Search Powers. April 24, 2009http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2009/apr/24/search_and_seizure_supreme_court

Constitutional Connection: Amendment 4, Search and Seizure.

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated”

Explanation of Constitution:

            The Supreme Court had limited the police search powers saying that they cannot search someone’s vehicle after their arrest. The reason for limiting the police powers is to insure the person whose car they search privacy. In the article Rodney Gant had been arrested because of driving with a suspended license but he also was a suspect in a drug investigation so the police had searched his car while he was arrested. When Gant was placed before the Supreme Court they had told the police that they can only do a search with a warrant, they also explained that the police can only search someone’s vehicle if it contains evidence pertaining to the person’s arrest.

            This article represents amendment four search and seizure because amendment four insures that the police cannot invade your privacy without legal power and the article represents that law. Because of the constitution creating the search in seizure amendment it has helped the Supreme Court to limit the police search powers to make sure that amendment four was being enforced in the U.S. The article and the constitution both support the right of amendment four because in the article the Supreme Court ruled in the arrestee’s favor because the police had not went by amendment four, which didn’t give them the right to search Gants vehicle. The police’s inability to follow amendments four rule has forced the Supreme Court to limit their search powers.

            I think that the Supreme Court should have limited the police’s search powers because many police’s search people’s vehicle and homes without warrants. Many police don’t go by amendment four and I think that this is a bad thing because many of the amendments aren’t being followed by the government. I think the Congress and the President should also work harder to make limit the police powers and make sure they don’t do anything that’s illegal to the people they arrest. I wonder will the Supreme Court limit any other of the police’s powers.