Landmark Decision in Mapp v. Ohio Is 50 Years Old - U.S. Courts News

Landmark Decision in Mapp v. Ohio Is 50 Years Old
June 17, 2011

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mapp v. Ohio is now 50 years old. The decision, announced on June 19, 1961, broadened the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The case originated in Cleveland, Ohio, when police officers forced their way into Dollree Mapp’s house without a proper search warrant. Police believed that Mapp was harboring a suspected bomber, and demanded entry. No suspect was found, but police did discover a trunk of obscene pictures in Mapp’s basement.

Mapp was arrested for possessing the pictures, and was convicted in an Ohio court. Mapp contended that her Fourth Amendment rights had been violated by the search, and eventually took her appeal to the nation’s highest court. Up to that time, unlawfully seized evidence had been banned from federal court prosecutions but not those in state courts.

By a 5-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Mapp v. Ohio that the same constitutional rule applied to criminal prosecutions in state courts as well.

Listen to a law professor discuss the case in a related audio podcast. This is the first in a new podcast series called Supreme Court Landmarks, which looks into some of the high court’s most influential decisions and their lasting significance.