Dollree Mapp Case Study

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Dollree Mapp had been under police watch for several months following suspicions of her involvement in a number of illegal activities. On May 23, 1957, police attempted to enter Mapp's home on suspicion that she had been harboring a fugitive accused of being involved in a house-bombing incident. Mapp refused the police entry because they did not have a warrant. After three hours, police returned to the home and again attempted entry, but Mapp did not answer. The officers then forced open the door and began search of the home. Mapp's attorney arrived at the home shortly thereafter, but was denied entry into the home by police. The officers' forced entry alerted Mapp, who at the time had been upstairs, and an argument between the two parties …show more content…

Indeed, as the Court held in Weeks v. U.S., any evidence that is obtained through violation of the Fourth Amendment is inadmissible in federal court, further clarified by the Exclusionary Rule. However, the ruling in Wolf v. Colorado, allowed evidence seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment to be used in State courts, despite the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court addressed the conflict between the two aforementioned doctrines by overruling the Wolf case altogether. As Justice Clark reasoned "There is no war between the Constitution and common sense". It is illogical to allow a state's prosecutor to use evidence illegally seized, that a federal prosecutor would otherwise not be allowed to use, when both actors are bound by the same Constitution. Moreover, a State's failure to adhere to the principles addressed by the Federal Constitution only influences the practice of disobedience. Furthermore, the rights secured by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, extend the applicability of the Fourth Amendment's right to privacy to States. Thus, the inadmissibility of evidence in courts, is enforceable to both federal and state

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