Daily News Article - January 25, 2012
1. a) What protection does the Fourth Amendment give U.S. citizens?
b) Write out the the text of the Fourth Amendment.
2. Define the following as used in the article:
-unreasonable searches (from para. 2)
-probable cause (from para. 8)
-warrant (from para. 12)
-minority [or dissent; minority dissent] (from para. 3)
-majority [opinion] (from para. 3)
3. What decision did the Supreme Court justices make in U.S. v. Jones, one of the first major cases to test privacy rights in the digital age?
4. Although voting unanimously, the court was split 5-4 on their reasoning behind their votes. How did the majority explain its decision? Be specific.
5. a) What argument did the government use to defend police use of the GPS without a valid warrant?
b) Do you think the government had a valid argument? Explain your answer.
6. Do you think the Supreme Court justices made the right decision in U.S. v. Jones: were Mr. Jones' constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment violated? Explain your answer.