Wolf v. Colorado

Following is the case brief for Wolf v. Colorado, 338 U.S. 25 (1949) Case Summary of Wolf v. Colorado: In two Colorado prosecutions for state crimes, evidence against the defendants was allowed at trial even though it was obtained through an unlawful search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The convictions were affirmed by the Colorado Supreme Court. […]

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Utah v. Strieff

Following is the case brief for Utah v. Strieff, 136 S. Ct. 2056 (2016) Case Summary of Utah v. Strieff: A police officer, suspecting that a house was being used for drug transactions, stopped Strieff when he walked out of the house. The officer asked for identification.  When Strieff provided it, the officer ran a check on his name, discovering […]

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Brewer v. Williams

Following is the case brief for Brewer v. Williams, 430 U.S. 387 (1977). Case Summary of Brewer v. Williams: Respondent Williams abducted and murdered a 10-year-old girl.  Two days later he turned himself in after speaking to his attorney. While he was transported by police officers to the jurisdiction where the crime occurred, an officer appealed to Williams’ religious beliefs by […]

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United States v. Leon

Following is the case brief for United States v. Leon, United States Supreme Court, (1984) Case summary for United States v. Leon: Police officers executed a facially valid search warrant unveiling evidence that was later introduced at trial. The warrant was later determined to lack probable cause. Leon, along with others, moved to suppress the evidence claiming introduction of the […]

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Exclusionary Rule

The exclusionary rule prevents the government from presenting evidence in trial which was gathered in violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against illegal search and seizure. A doctrine commonly used in American courts, the exclusionary rule discourages police and other law enforcement agents from obtaining evidence illegally. The court will suppress or ban evidence that was gathered in violation of […]

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