Ruling in Mapp v. Ohio, on June 19, 1961, the majority opinion declared that "All evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Federal Constitution is inadmissible in a criminal trial in a state court."
The question presented was:
"[W]hether the States are Constitutionally free to follow [the common-law non-exclusionary rule] or not as they may themselves determine."
Oral Arguments
You can hear the oral arguments for this case here:
Or listen to them directly on the Supreme Court's website here.
The Ruling
You can read the final ruling in Mapp v. Ohio either in our read in full below, or click here for a PDF.
