Olmstead v. United States

Definition

Olmstead v. United States (1928) is a landmark Supreme Court case where the Court held that wiretapped private telephone conversations, obtained without a warrant, could be used as evidence in court because they were not physical intrusions and thus not violations of the Fourth Amendment. This decision sparked significant debate about the limits of government surveillance and the right to privacy.

Related terms

Fourth Amendment: Protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant based on probable cause.

Right to Privacy: A principle that individuals have an inherent right to keep their personal matters confidential, protected from public scrutiny or government intrusion.

Katz v. United States (1967): A Supreme Court case that overturned Olmstead by establishing that the Fourth Amendment protects people, not places, thereby extending privacy protections to include wiretaps and electronic eavesdropping