search warrant
Noun: A legal document, issued by a judge or magistrate, that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a specified person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to seize that evidence for use in court. The warrant must specifically describe the place to be searched and the items or persons to be seized.
A search warrant is a critical tool in criminal investigations, balancing law enforcement needs with constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. It is required before police can legally search a private property where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, unless a specific exception applies. - The police obtained a search warrant before entering the suspect's apartment. - The judge denied the search warrant application due to insufficient probable cause. - The evidence was inadmissible because it was seized without a valid search warrant.
- To execute a search warrant: To carry out the search as authorized by the warrant.
- The officers arrived at dawn to execute the search warrant.
- To serve a search warrant: To formally present the warrant to the person whose property is to be searched.
- Before beginning the search, they must serve the search warrant on the homeowner.
- Warrantless search: A search conducted without a warrant, which is generally presumed unreasonable unless it falls under a recognized exception (e.g., consent, exigent circumstances).
- The defense argued the search was an illegal warrantless search.
- Warrant (n): A broader term for a writ authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seizure, or search.
- Arrest warrant (n): A warrant authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual.
- No-knock warrant (n): A type of search warrant that allows officers to enter premises without prior notification.
- Judicial warrant
- Court order (in this specific context)
- Probable cause for a warrant: The standard of proof required for a judge to issue a warrant, meaning it is more likely than not that evidence of a crime will be found in the place to be searched.
- The affidavit established probable cause for a warrant.
- Scope of the warrant: The legal limits of the search, defined by the places and items described in the warrant.
- The seizure of the computer was within the scope of the warrant.
- Fruit of the poisonous tree: A legal doctrine stating that evidence obtained from an illegal search (e.g., without a valid warrant) is inadmissible, as is any secondary evidence derived from it.
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a warrant authorizing law enforcement officials to search for objects or people involved in the commission of a crime and to produce them in court; the warrant describes the locations where the officials may search
