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Landmark Case

Mapp v Ohio

Criminal Law and Procedure

Mapp v Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961), is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision holding that the exclusionary rule, which bars prosecutors from using evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, applies to the states as well as the federal government, through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The case arose after Cleveland police searched Dollree Mapp's home without a valid warrant and found materials used to convict her. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Decision Year
1961 1
Decision Date
1961-06-18 1
Holding
The Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, excludes unconstitutionally obtained evidence from use in state as well as federal criminal prosecutions; the Ohio Supreme Court's judgment was reversed. 1
Current Status
Still binding; extended the exclusionary rule to the states, overruling Wolf v Colorado (1949), over a dissent by Justice Harlan arguing for adherence to Wolf under stare decisis. 1
Case Status
Case Status (category)
Overruled (in whole or part) 1
FAQs

What did Mapp v Ohio decide about illegally obtained evidence?

The exclusionary rule applies to the states as well as the federal government.

The Supreme Court held in 1961 that the exclusionary rule, which bars prosecutors from using evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, applies to the states as well as the federal government, through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The Ohio Supreme Court's judgment was reversed.

How did Mapp v Ohio arise?

Police searched Dollree Mapp's home without a valid warrant.

Cleveland police searched Dollree Mapp's home without a valid warrant and found materials used to convict her.
Connections

Authored By

Tom C. Clark, Jurists
Source Mapp v Ohio (Wikipedia)

Decided By

United States Supreme Court, Courts
Source Mapp v Ohio (Wikipedia)

Established

Exclusionary Rule, Doctrines
Source Mapp v Ohio (Wikipedia)

In Legal System

Common Law, Legal Systems
In the Other Atlases

Found In

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Mapp v Ohio (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961), is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that the exclusionary rule, which prevents a prosecutor from using evidence that was obtained by violating the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also applies to the states. The Supreme Court accomplished this by use of a principle known as selective incorporation. In Mapp, this involved the incorporation of the provisions, as interpreted by the Court, of the Fourth Amendment (which applies only to actions of the federal government) into the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
  • Infobox: decideyear
    1961
  • Infobox: decidedate
    June 18
  • Infobox (Holding field)
    The Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, as applied to the states through the Fourteenth, excludes unconstitutionally obtained evidence from use in criminal prosecutions. Ohio Supreme Court reversed.
  • Infobox: overturned previous case
    Wolf v. Colorado (1949)
  • Established: Exclusionary Rule, Infobox (Holding field, doctrine-edge citation)
    The Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, as applied to the states through the Fourteenth, excludes unconstitutionally obtained evidence from use in criminal prosecutions. Ohio Supreme Court reversed.
  • Authored By: Tom C. Clark, Article text
    Clark concluded the Court's opinion
  • In Group: Police Powers, Search and Confession Cases, Introduction, sentence 1
    Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961), is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that the exclusionary rule, which prevents a prosecutor from using evidence that was obtained by violating the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also applies to the states.
View the Source
Wikidata: Mapp v Ohio
Wikidata Q6754149, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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