What about warrantless seizure without probable cause?

So, I was reading about seizures without a warrant, and I get that it’s usually a violation of the Fourth Amendment, even if there’s probable cause. But what if there’s no probable cause at all? Is that still a violation of rights?

Yeah, it’s definitely a violation. If there’s no probable cause, the seizure is considered unconstitutional. The government can’t just take your stuff without a good reason and a warrant, unless there are some rare exceptions.

@Omar
Got it, thanks for clarifying! So basically, if they don’t have a solid reason, it’s pretty much illegal?

Exactly! If there’s no probable cause, it’s like a free pass for the government to just mess with people’s stuff. But you can challenge it in court if that happens.

Vann said:
Exactly! If there’s no probable cause, it’s like a free pass for the government to just mess with people’s stuff. But you can challenge it in court if that happens.

Oh, wow, that’s good to know. So I could fight it in court if something like that happened to me?

Vann said:
Exactly! If there’s no probable cause, it’s like a free pass for the government to just mess with people’s stuff. But you can challenge it in court if that happens.

Yeah, you could. Document everything and get any witnesses who were around. The more details, the better.

I’ve read about cases where law enforcement just takes stuff with no solid reason, and it usually doesn’t end well for them in court. So yeah, you’re protected by the Fourth Amendment.

Sidney said:
I’ve read about cases where law enforcement just takes stuff with no solid reason, and it usually doesn’t end well for them in court. So yeah, you’re protected by the Fourth Amendment.

That’s good to hear. It sounds like the system’s got our back if something goes wrong.

Yeah, the Fourth Amendment is pretty clear about this. The courts don’t play around with unreasonable searches and seizures, so it’s definitely not okay to take your stuff without a warrant and without probable cause.

@Taliesin
Makes sense. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the info!

It’s good to know that there are rules about this. If they take something without probable cause, you could ask for the evidence to be excluded in court. That’s what the exclusionary rule is all about.

@Kale
I had no idea about the exclusionary rule. Sounds like a good way to protect people’s rights.

@Kale
Yeah, it’s there to make sure they don’t get away with breaking the law. If they mess up, it could hurt their case.