Steagald v. United States 451 U.S. 204 (1981)

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STEAGALD v. UNITED STATES 451 U.S. 204 (1981)

A 7–2 Supreme Court extended to third parties the rule of payton v. new york (1980) that, absent consent or exigent circumstances, law enforcement officers may not enter a home to make an arrest without a search warrant. Here the officers sought to execute an arrest warrant for one person by entering the home of another and found evidence that served to convict that other party. The Court supported his contention that the fourth amendment required a warrant for the search of his home, reasoning that privacy, especially in one's home, outweighed the inconvenience to the officers of having to obtain a search warrant.

Leonard W. Levy
(1986)

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