The open fields doctrine is a U.S. legal doctrine created judicially for purposes of evaluating claims of an unreasonable search by the government in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Read more about Open Fields Doctrine: History, Distinguishing Open Fields From Curtilage
Famous quotes containing the words open, fields and/or doctrine:
“You’re gonna take the rap and play along. You’re gonna make every exact move I tell you. If you don’t, I’ll kill you. And I’ll promise you one thing, it won’t be quick. I’ll break you first. You won’t be able to answer a telephone or open a door without thinking “This is it.” And when it comes, it still won’t be quick. And it won’t be pretty.”
—Geoffrey Homes (1902–1977)
“I have passed down the river before sunrise on a summer morning, between fields of lilies still shut in sleep; and when, at length, the flakes of sunlight from over the bank fell on the surface of the water, whole fields of white blossoms seemed to flash open before me, as I floated along, like the unfolding of a banner, so sensible is this flower to the influence of the sun’s rays.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The doctrine that all men are, in any sense, or have been, at any time, free and equal, is an utterly baseless fiction.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)