Question

What opinions do you have about the supreme court case of California v. Greenwood?

Answer 1

Answer:

The Court adopted California's view on the case, ruling that police could search the trash without a warrant. Greenwood did not have an expectation of privacy over the contents of the trash bags once he placed them in public view on the curb, defeating any Fourth Amendment claims.

The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures and requires probable cause for police to obtain a search warrant. The question at the center of the case is whether or not the police violated Greenwood’s Fourth Amendment right when conducting a warrantless search of the trash bags.

The larger question in terms of the Fourth Amendment – whether illegally obtained evidence could be used in court. Remained unanswered until the establishment of the exclusionary rule in Weeks v. United in 1914.