7.1: Weeks v. United States
PETITIONER RESPONDENT
Freemont Weeks United States
DOCKET NO. DECIDED BY
461 White Court
LOWER COURT
Federal District Court
CITATION
232 US 383 (1914)
ARGUED
Dec 1-2, 1914
DECIDED
Feb 24, 1914
ADVOCATES
Martin J. O'Donnell for Weeks
John W . Davis Solicitor General, Department of Justice, for the United States
Winfred T. Denis on Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, for the United States
Facts of the case
Police entered the home of Fremont Weeks and seized papers which were used to convict him of transporting lottery tickets through the mail. This was done without a search warrant. Weeks took action against the police and petitioned for the return of his private possessions.
Question
Did the search and seizure of Weeks' home violate the Fourth Amendment?
Conclusion
Decision for Weeks by William R. Day
UNANIMOUS
Day
White
McKenna
Holmes
Lurton
Hughes
Van Devanter
Lamar
Pitney
The Fourth Amendment prohibition against unlawful searches and seizures applies to Weeks and the evidence thus seized must be excluded from prosecuting him. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the seizure of items from Weeks' residence directly violated his constitutional rights. The Court also held that the government's refusal to return Weeks' possessions violated the Fourth Amendment. To allow private documents to be seized and then held as evidence against citizens would have meant that the protection of the Fourth Amendment declaring the right to be secure against such searches and seizures would be of no value whatsoever. This was the first application of what eventually became known as the "exclusionary rule."