Right to Privacy

Right to Privacy








Privacy Rights—Do We Have Them?
Lisa J. Priebe
POL303: The American Constitution
Instructor Brian Kimminau
May 9, 2014

Privacy Rights—Do We Have Them?
Privacy is perhaps one of the most personal issues in today's government and society. An intensely personal issue, privacy pertains not only to the right of the individual to worship in any way he wants, dress in any way he desires, but also to expect that these rights be protected by the government that upholds them.
Street cameras and street-view maps have led to a total loss of privacy in the United States. The right to privacy cannot be absolute. Sometimes, people do things that endanger others. Government agents, such as police, have an interest in invading these people’s privacy. That’s why the Fourth Amendment protects us only from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The Fourth Amendment says that search, or arrest, is reasonable if the officials doing it have gotten a warrant from a judge. The Supreme Court has ruled that some searches are reasonable even without a warrant, such as when circumstances make it very difficult for the officials to stop what they are doing to get a warrant before continuing (Mohamed, 2013). These situations are called exigent circumstances. For instance if someone was shot and they knew where the suspect was they could go in the dwelling without a warrant.
Officials have to show the judge that there is probable cause before a warrant can be given. That means they have to convince the judge that a reasonable person would believe a crime has taken place and that the warrant is needed. To prove probable cause, the officials need to gather evidence, which can’t be obtained through unreasonable invasions of privacy.
Court interpretations of the right to privacy vary. According to Griswold versus Connecticut, the right to an individual's privacy in marriage was upheld. "Although the Bill of Rights does not explicitly mention "privacy", Justice...

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