California v. Greenwood (1987)
- Docket
- 86-684
- Decided
- 1987-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the warrantless search and seizure of Greenwood's garbage violate the Fourth Amendment's search and seizure guarantee? Conclusion: Voting 6 to 2, the Court held that garbage placed at the curbside is unprotected by the Fourth Amendment. The Court argued that there was no reasonable expectation of privacy for trash on public streets "readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public." The Court also noted that the police cannot be expected to ignore criminal activity that can be observed by "any member of the public."