California+v.+Greenwood

Summary: Billy Greenwood, a man in California, was suspected of drug dealing in his home/residence. A criminal suspect also informed the police he was “trafficking narcotics”. The police did not have a warrant, but only reasonable belief this was true. The police did not have enough evidence to receive their warrant to search Billy Greenwood’s house. Instead of searching his home, they searched his garbage, which was located at the curbside. That evidence they found, then gave enough evidence to receive a warrant to search Billy Greenwood’s house. “Illegal substances" were found, and Greenwood was arrested for felony charges. However the Supreme Court dismissed the charges against Greenwood, because in the court case People v. Krivda violated the 4th amendment and the California Constitution. They also said that the police would not have had the probable cause to search the house without what they found in the garbage.

Supreme Court Majority Rule: What a person has out in plain view of the public, is not protected by the 4th amendment. Having garbage outside your house at the curb of a public street where anyone can go through it, is not protected by the 4th amendment. But California law gives residents privacy in their garbage. So California law contradicts the 4th amendment and the majority did not agree with the ruling.

Supreme Court Minority Rule: Going through someones trash is not commonly acceptable behavior. People expect that their private lives are safely hidden inside of that garbage bag nd will not become public. They believed that Greenwood reasonably expected that the contents of his garbage would stay private.

Fourth Amendment Cases