Which amendment covers Searches and Seizures?

• A. The Fifth Amendment
• B. The Sixth Amendment
• C. The Eighth Amendment
• D. The Fourth Amendment

Answer: (D)

The protection against unreasonable government intrusions into a person’s privacy and property is provided by the Fourth Amendment. It sets the rule that searches and seizures must be reasonable, typically requiring a warrant based on probable cause and describing with particularity what is to be searched or seized. There are well-known exceptions to the warrant requirement, such as consent, plain view, exigent circumstances, certain stops and frisks, and automobile searches. The safeguard applies to actions by state and local authorities as well as federal, through incorporation by the Fourteenth Amendment. The other amendments address different rights—Fifth covers due process and protection against self-incrimination, Sixth covers trial rights, and Eighth concerns punishment—so they do not govern the rules about searches and seizures.