Keywords
Fourth Amendment, search and seizure, search warrant, reasonable reliance, Massachusetts v. Sheppard, United States v. Leon, United States v. Buck, particularity, defective warrant
Abstract
This Note analyzes the application of the good-faith exception to search warrant particularity violations under the Fourth Amendment. The question compelled by United States v. Leon and Massachusetts v. Sheppard is when, if ever, a particularity-defective warrant will sustain an officer's "reasonable reliance.'' The Note briefly discusses how "particularity" traditionally has been assessed under the fourth amendment. The author examines the Supreme Court's holding in Massachusetts v. Sheppard, and contrasts several circuit court cases that have applied Sheppard's "objectively reasonable" standard of good faith to warrants involving particularity defects. Finally, the Note concludes that the approach taken by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in United States v. Buck is a preferable approach because it encourages courts to establish clearer standards for the particularity of warrants under the Fourth Amendment.
Recommended Citation
Martha Applebaum,
"Wrong But Reasonable": The Fourth Amendment Particularity Requirement After United States v. Leon,
16 Fordham Urb. L.J. 577
(1987).
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ulj/vol16/iss4/3