What does the Fourth Amendment say?
About this video
This video explains the two main parts of the Fourth Amendment: a ban on unreasonable searches and seizures of persons, houses, papers and effects, and a ban on general warrants, so warrants need probable cause and must specifically describe what is searched and seized. It then explains what counts as a house, papers and effects.
You'll be able to
- name the two main parts of the Fourth Amendment.
- give examples of persons, houses, papers and effects.
- explain that the Fourth Amendment limits how the government investigates.
Key words
- search and seizure
- When the government looks through someone's things or takes property or a person into its control.
- general warrant
- A broad warrant that doesn't say specifically where to search or what to take, which the Fourth Amendment bans.
- probable cause
- Good enough reason to believe evidence will be found, needed before a warrant is issued.
- papers
- Things like letters or packages, including an Amazon package sent through the mail.
- effects
- Other property you have rights in, such as a car.
Transcript
[MUSIC] The Fourth Amendment has two main parts. The first part is a prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures of a persons, houses, papers and effects. Then the second part is a ban on general warrants. No warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause and specifically describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. It's basically a limitation on the government as they investigate cases and limitations on where they can go when they do that. Houses are probably pretty easy to understand. It's just your house and that could be a temporary house, like a hotel room, a permanent house, like a place where you are renting an apartment or you own the house. You certainly don't have to own it in order to have rights in it, but the idea is of a place where you live, that's a house. Then papers could be your letters, for example or packages,
an Amazon package delivered through the mail would be a paper. Effects would basically be other property that you have rights in, like a car, for example, could be your effect [MUSIC].
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