United States v. Knotts
1983 United States Supreme Court case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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United States v. Knotts, 460 U.S. 276 (1983), was a United States Supreme Court case regarding the use of an electronic surveillance device.[1] The defendants argued that the use of this device was a Fourth Amendment violation. The device in question was described as a beeper that could only be tracked from a short distance. During a single trip, officers followed a car containing the beeper, relying on beeper signal to determine the car's final destination. The Court unanimously held that since the use of such a device did not violate a legitimate expectation of privacy there was no search and seizure and thus the use was allowed without a warrant.[2] It reasoned that a person traveling in public has no expectation of privacy in one's movements. Since there was no search and seizure there was not a Fourth Amendment violation.[2]
United States v. Knotts | |
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Argued December 6, 1982 Decided March 2, 1983 | |
Full case name | United States v. Knotts |
Citations | 460 U.S. 276 (more) 103 S. Ct. 1081; 75 L. Ed. 2d 55; 1983 U.S. LEXIS 135 |
Case history | |
Prior | 662 F.2d 515 (8th Cir. 1981); cert. granted, 457 U.S. 1131 (1982) |
Holding | |
A radio transmitter may be used without a warrant to aid the police in their physical pursuit of a suspect. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | Rehnquist, joined by Burger, White, Powell, O'Connor |
Concurrence | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
Concurrence | Blackmun, joined by Brennan, Marshall, Stevens |
Concurrence | Stevens, joined by Brennan, Marshall |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. IV |